196 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXAMINATION OF SCHOOL TEACHERS 

 IN COTTAGE AND ALLOTMENT GARDENING. 



Apeil 11, 1906. 



We are glad to be able to report the greatly improved nature of the 

 replies furnished by the candidates generally. Several of them, on the 

 present occasion only in the lower classes, give good promise of much 

 better work next year. 



A few candidates still persist in writing on both sides of their paper. 

 This fault must be corrected in future. Some others took too much 

 pairs to produce such elaborate penmanship as only conduces to the 

 waste of valuable time. Occasionally disposition was shown to wander 

 away from the subject-matter of the questions. This practice also wastes 

 time, and has no value ; rigid adherence to the subject-matter of the 

 questions is best. Whilst full liberty is granted to candidates to take 

 questions in any order, those who take them in the order as presented 

 inspire confidence in their capacity. Jumping backwards and forwards 

 amongst the questions naturally leads to the inference that candidates 

 lack the needful general knowledge. 



Proper use of certain common " terms " in gardening should have 

 attention. The term " planting " applies to plants or potatoes. Seeds 

 'should be referred to as "sown." Several candidates stumbled over 

 the term " herbaceous," using carnations, pansies, and other evergreen 

 plants as illustrations. Terms of this description are intended to reveal 

 candidates' knowledge of plant natures, or otherwise. 



Speaking generally, the replies to the question on " salads " were the 

 weakest, various things, including flavouring herbs, not salads at all, being 

 often included. Wider knowledge as to the proper cultivation and selection 

 of kinds and varieties for cottage garden or allotment purposes is much 

 to be desired. Some manures recommended — product of book or class 

 study — were hardly such as cottagers can obtain. Full consideration 

 should always be shown to accessibility. 



Finally, we note with pleasure the very admirable evidence of cultural 

 knowledge shown by those candidates whose names stand high in the 

 list. In such cases there was ample evidence that not mere book or 

 class acquirements but undoubted practical knowledge was displayed. 

 Candidates should, in their replies, always seek to be concise, clear, 

 and practical. Profusion of words more often hides and confuses the 

 information sought to be conveyed. 



James Hudson, V.M.H. 

 Alexander Dean, V.M.H. 



July 1906. 



