EXAMINATION OF SCHOOL TEACHERS IN GARDENING. 171 
EXAMINATION OF SCHOOL TEACHERS IN COTTAGE AND 
ALLOTMENT GARDENING. 
April 18, 19-17. 
Six hundred and fifteen candidates entered for the Examination 
held on April 18, 1917. Of these, 27 obtained a first class, 296 a second, 
and 232 a third, leaving 36 failures (including one who only answered 
one question in Section B and who would otherwise have appeared 
in the list) and 24 absentees. 
The Examiners (Mr. F. J. Chittenden, F.L.S., Mr. John Fraser, 
F.L.S., Mr. W. Crump, V.M.H., and Mr. C. R. Fielder, V.M.H.) report 
that many candidates advocated burning the turf, forgetting that this 
would destroy most of its manurial value. The proportions of ground 
to be devoted to various crops were generally well set forth ; but 
there was much lack of knowledge of the quantities of the different 
seeds required for cropping it. There was better knowledge of Rotation 
and Intercropping than of Successional Cropping. 
The knowledge of insects was, for the most part, clearly that 
obtained from books, and, as a result, there was but little known as 
to the best methods of destroying them. There was the usual confusion 
as to annuals, which were made to include bulbous plants and 
perennials. There were some excellent answers on how to break up 
pasture land for potatos, and also on hardy fruits and methods of 
storing them. 
Only a few of the answers in Section B were really well done. 
The question on "sticky " soils was mostly avoided, although a proper 
understanding of their character lies at the root of gardening on all 
clay soils. The question relating to lime was better handled, but a 
few candidates still fail to distinguish between the various forms of 
lime, and persist in regarding superphosphate of lime as of value in 
the soil in the same way as quick or slaked lime, or carbonate of 
lime. 
The Examiners cannot but regret the failure of almost all candi- 
dates to base their methods on ascertained facts of plant and animal 
life, and also the tendency to substitute rule of thumb and memorized 
text -book statements for reasoned answers to the questions asked. 
This is nowhere more apparent than in the answers concerning plant 
pests. 
Notwithstanding the notice at the top of each sheet of the fools- 
cap paper block, many candidates omitted to commence each question 
on a fresh sheet. This causes much extra trouble and delay in de- 
spatching the answers to the different examiners. Also, candidates 
should answer each question fully and independently of any other 
