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Report of the Education Committee 
remained at 25 1. ever since. In 1873, 251., 10?., and 51. were 
awarded to the three candidates who won first-class certificates ; in 
1874, 25 1. ; in 1875, 1876, and 1877, 25?. and 15?. ; in 1878, 25?. ; 
in 1879, 25?., 15?., and 10?. ; and in 1880, when, for the first 
time, there were four winners of first-class certificates eligible for 
prizes, 25?., 15?., 10?., and 51 . — which amounts have since been 
annually offered. 
Prizes for Proficiency in Particular Subjects. — From 1868 to 
1872 separate prizes of 10?. or 51. (amounting in all to 65?.) were 
offered for the candidates who obtained the highest marks in 
particular subjects ; but these were discontinued after 1872, the 
Education Committee reporting on December 10, 1872, that they 
saw “no necessity for supplementary rewards to candidates 
already successful.” 
Subjects of Examination and Marks allotted. — The marks 
allotted for Agriculture, originally (like the other compulsory 
subjects) 200, were increased to 300 in November 1887. Agri- 
cultural Engineering was substituted for the vaguer title of 
Mechanics in June 1888, when also the marks for Land Surveying 
were increased from 100 to 200. Agricultural Entomology was 
added as an optional subject in November 1889. 
5. The Table appended to this Report [see page 757] gives in 
columns 2, 3, 4, and 5 the number of candidates actually examined 
in each year from 1868 to 1894, the number of life memberships 
granted, the number of first-class certificates, and the number of 
second-class certificates. 
From this Table it appears that during the twenty-seven years 
that the Senior Examinations have been held a total of 338 
candidates have been examined. Of these, 108 have gained first- 
class certificates and 106 (viz. all the winners of first-class certificates 
but the last four of the ten successful candidates in 1894, and two 
candidates who were granted special certificates in 1888) have been 
granted life memberships of the Society. 
6. With four exceptions (viz. one candidate elected in 1880 and 
one in 1881, who are dead ; and two elected in 1888, ruled out 
owing to absence of addresses), all these 106 Education Life 
Members remain on the Society’s registers. Their average age on 
admission to the life membership was as nearly as possible twenty-five 
years : forty of them were under age (the youngest fifteen years 
old), sixty-two were over age (the eldest sixty-five years old), and 
the ages of the remaining four are unknown. 
7. For the first twenty years the number of life memberships 
granted annually was very small; but in 1889, 10 were granted; 
in 1890, 6 : in 1891 and 1892, 8 each year ; and in 1893, the large 
number of 14. It was this last result which caused the Education 
Committee to consider the question of some limitations being placed 
on the number of life memberships, and which has given rise to the 
discussions in the Council on the general question of the rewards 
offered at the Society’s Senior Examination. 
