92 JOURNAL OF THE EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXAMINATION OF EMPLOYEES IN PUBLIC PABKS. 

 January 11th, 1909. 



The Pioyal Horticultural Society's fourth Examination of the Employees 

 in Public Parks was held on January 11, 1909. 



As previously, the Examination was partly viva voce and partly written, 

 occupying three hours and twenty minutes. It was held at the Society's 

 Hall in Vincent Square, Westminster. 



One hundred and nineteen candidates entered, and of these twenty- 

 five secured places in the first class, forty in the second, and thirty-seven in 

 the third, leaving seventeen candidates who failed to obtain the minimum 

 marks required. No one candidate stands out prominently before the 

 others, and the highest marks obtained fall considerably below those of 

 1908. It is encouraging, however, to notice that in Class I about 

 fifty per cent, of the candidates were in the lower Classes last year, and 

 other candidates of former years, if not yet in Class I, have attained a 

 higher position than formerly. So much for the value of perseverance. 



The answers to the questions indicated a very fair acquaintance with 

 the practical work of draining, trenching, manuring, soil preparation for 

 planting, and the general cultivation of the soil. It is on questions 

 involving thoughtful study, observation and resource that many candidates 

 show much weakness. To attain a certain versatility of ability to deal 

 with all aspects of the work of a public garden is a matter requiring 

 thought and observation. The lack of these was evident in answers to 

 Questions 5 and 13. The former merely required the expression of a few 

 graceful curves— but many of the answers revealed the crudest lines and 

 most inartistic ideas ; and the few attempts made to answer Question 13 

 may be supposed to indicate a lack of knowledge of the financial side of 

 a public garden. A marvellous deficiency in arithmetic was exposed, 

 only four correct answers being given to '13 (3) ' which any boy in 

 Standard IV at school might easily have answered. With reference to the 

 classification and naming of trees and shrubs, the majority of the 

 candidates were familiar with the common name of many, but were unable 

 to give their generic or specific names. Their native countries also were 

 but weakly known, and as to those which are distinctly ' British ' a general 

 haziness of mind existed, the majority of candidates including N. American, 

 Japanese, and New Zealand trees and shrubs as British. The scientific 

 names and the natural habitat of the trees and shrubs of our public 

 gardens would repay a closer study, for nothing interests the public more 

 than to find these points well and correctly set out. 



An immense improvement is noticed in the understanding of the 

 cultivation of flowering shrubs, indicated by the answers to Question 12, 

 as compared with two years ago, when a similar question was given. 



Reviewing the results generally : — There is still much room for 

 improvement, the higher standard hoped for in last year's report having 



