on the Society's Senior Examination. 
755 
8. It is abundantly clear, from the communications which have 
reached the Society since this matter has been under consideration, 
that the candidates who enter for the Senior Examination attach 
far greater value to the education life membership of the Society 
than to the money prizes ; and the Committee themselves would 
prefer that the rewards given to the successful candidates should 
be of a nature to connect them with agricultural matters in their 
after-life. The association with the Society of a body of men who 
have proved, by examination, their skill in the science and practice 
of Agriculture is alike creditable to the Society and honourable to 
the students. Those who have won life memberships through their 
own efforts are proud of the Society and of their connexion with 
it ; and this esprit de corps is eminently deserving of encourage- 
ment. Obviously, however, the honour will be all the greater if it 
be bestowed, not merely as the result of a comparative trial of 
strength, but as the reward of a cei'tain positive as well as com- 
parative degree of merit. 
9. Under the original regulations, any candidate who (by gaining 
half the marks) passed in all the compulsory subjects received, 
not only a first-class certificate, but also the life membership of 
the Society. Now that the number of candidates has increased, 
and the general standard of success has been raised, the Committee 
recognise that the unlimited granting of life memberships may not 
only impose a serious burden upon the Society’s finances without 
commensurate advantage, but may tend to diminish the distinction 
of the reward itself. Accordingly, they propose that the life member- 
ship of the Society shall in future only be conferred upon the five 
candidates who are placed at the head of the list of the winners of 
first-class certificates, and who win not less than two-thirds of the 
maximum number of marks. 
10 . The Committee have fixed upon this standard after con- 
sideration of the results of the examinations during the twenty- 
seven years that have elapsed since it was first started. It 
appears from the Table that the 106 life memberships actually 
granted would have been reduced to forty-three if they had been 
limited to candidates who obtained two-thirds of the total number 
of mark3, and to twelve if to those who gained three-fourths 
of the marks. The Table shows a distinct improvement in the 
quality of candidates during the last few years; and fcr this the 
facilities for the higher agricultural education now obtainable, and 
the demand for lectures under the Technical Education Commit- 
tees of County Councils are doubtless, to a considerable extent, 
responsible. Whether the standard of candidates will continue to 
improve is, of course, a question which cannot be answered now ; but 
the point as to the variations in the marking of papers by different 
examiners in different years must not be omitted from consideration. 
11 . If three-fourths of the maximum marks were required as 
a condition of giving a first-class certificate, it is to be feared 
that it would — taking the question of examiners’ markings into 
