780
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 15

(i.) Green, pod-bearing, and tap-rooted vegetables,
potatoes, onions, vegetable marrows, tomatoes.
Gathering and storing of vegetables.
(ii.) Flowering-plants (annuals, perennials, and
bulbs). Method of propagating flowering-
plants. Succession of crops.
(iii.) Tree and bush fruits. The care of fruit-trees.
The operations of pruning, budding, and
grafting.
(iv.) Cereals and other grasses, and fodder-plants
generally.
(b.) Experimental and observational work. The seed:
Parts of the seed. Conditions necessary for germination
and growth. Testing the vitality of seeds. The collec-
tion and preservation of seed. Experiments illustrating
the phenomena of germination and the establishment of
the young plant (e.g., absorption of moisture by seeds;
temperature of and pressure exerted by germinating
seeds; how seeds escape from their covers; how seeds get
buried in the soil; how young plants get above the
ground, and how they deal with obstacles met with dur-
ing the process; how seeds on the surface get their roots
into the ground; proof that germinating seeds take in
oxygen and give out carbonic acid, &c.).
The root: The function of the root. Root systems.
The use of root-hairs and root-caps. Effect of injury to
these parts. How roots grow. Experiments illustrating
the work of roots (e.g., relation between root-hairs and
soil-particles; exploration of soil by roots in search of
moisture; the quantity of water required by roots; use
made by roots of mineral matters dissolved out of soil
by water; the use of culture-solutions; proof that roots
require air and give out carbonic acid, &c.).
The leaf: The general structure, forms, and functions
of leaves. Seed leaves and foliage leaves compared.
Transpiration. Respiration. Formation of starch. Ex-
periments illustrating the work of leaves (e.g., demon-
stration of the occurrence of water, air, and starch in
leaves; behaviour of green leaves in sunlight and in the
dark; how the rate of transpiration is controlled; the
functions of the upper and lower surfaces of leaves com-
pared, &c.).
The stem and buds: General structure and functions
of stems. The “habit” of a plant. The habits of dif-
ferent plants compared. Twining and climbing plants.
Peculiar forms of stems (e.g., potato, crocus, &c.).
General structure of buds. Winter buds. Bud-scales.
How the growing point is protected. Influence of tem-
perature, moisture, and light on growth. Experiments
on the work of stems (e.g., effect on a plant of “ringing”
the stem; how the sap circulates; demonstration of the
presence of starch and sugar in stems, &c.).
The flower and fruit: The parts of the flower and
their functions. Causes influencing the opening and
closing of flowers. Pollination. Devices for the pro-
tection of pollen, for the prevention of self-pollination,
and the promotion of cross-pollination. The formation
of fruits. Different types of fruits. Devices for the
protection of seeds from foes. Dissemination of seeds.
Experiments on cross-fertilization.
The soil: How soil is made. The mechanical analysis
of soil. The texture of soil. The soil as a sponge from
which a plant may obtain water, as a storehouse of plant-
food, and as a laboratory in which plant-food is pre-
pared and dissolved. Experiments with soils (e.g., how
moisture is held in the soil; how the moisture-holding
capacity of a soil may be increased; conservation of
moisture; rate of evaporation at surface of different
soils; how the texture of a soil may be improved; the
selection and testing of fertilizers).
The care of plants. The principles of pruning. The
enemies of plants. The life-histories of the commoner
animal pests. How to preserve specimens of plants.
The candidate will be required to forward before the
date of examination a certificate in the prescribed form