TEACHERS' EXAMINATION IN HORTICULTURE, cix 



TEACHERS' EXAMINATION IN HORTICULTURE. 



Held by the Society at the Invitation of the Glamorgan 

 County Council, September 21, 1918. 



Ninety-five candidates entered for this Examination. Of these 

 6 obtained a first class, 22 a second, and 38 a third class, leaving 

 15 failures and 14 who did not sit. 



Section A. 



The Examiners (Mr. F. J. Chittenden, F.L.S., V.M.H., and Mr. 

 C. R. Fielder, V.M.H.) report that almost every candidate attempted 

 Questions 1, 2, 3, and 4, the majority of the answers being fairly good, 

 although in Question 1 some candidates confused Trenching with 

 Ridging, and Double Digging with Trenching, while not a few omitted 

 to give the width of the trenches — a serious omission, as upon this 

 greatly depends the satisfactory performance of the work. 



In Question 3 many candidates missed the important point that 

 the nitrogen taken from the soil by " Green Manuring " is prevented 

 from being washed away by rain and stored up in the plants for 

 returning to the ground. 



Although the work was again fair in Questions 5, 6, 7, and 9, there 

 was a much smaller number of answers — only ten in Question 7 and 

 two in Question 9. This leads to the inference that candidates have 

 confined their studies chiefly to vegetable cultivation and the pro- 

 duction of the maximum amount of food. Nevertheless, the im- 

 portance of fruit as food should not be lost sight of, as the return to 

 peace conditions will require that the teaching of fruit cultivation 

 shall go hand in hand with the cultivation of vegetables. 



In Question 8 not a few candidates included Wallflowers and 

 Antirrhinums amongst biennial plants, and Lobelia amongst annuals, 

 which suggests lack of observation. A curiously small number 

 included any of the woody flowering plants in their lists of perennials, 

 omitting such typical cottage garden plants as Roses, Lilacs, Jasmine, 

 etc. 



There were some good answers to Question 10, but many were 

 lacking in necessary details. 



Throughout Section A generally many answers were too brief, 

 and failed to illustrate adequately the candidates' knowledge of the 

 subjects. 



Section B. 



Few of the answers given in Section B were really well done. 

 They savoured too much of replies " got up " for Examination 

 purposes instead of being based upon sound knowledge of principles. 



