CORRESPONDENCE 653 



but I have set down briefly the main improvements which 

 suggest themselves as desirable in the reform of our educational 

 system, from the point of view of a teacher who desires that the 

 ancient classics shall be taught more efficiently than ever, but 

 only to those fitted to receive their teaching. And I may 

 add as one who has felt most bitterly the lack of instruction in 

 any branch of science, that it is my sincere desire that the 

 absolute and immediate necessity for the teaching of science 

 may be recognised by the parents of the pupils at our schools 

 and colleges ; if this necessity is once recognised the school 

 authorities will promptly accept the wishes of the public 



I am, Sir, yours very faithfully, 



Herbert A. Strong, M.A., LL.D., 



Emeritus Professor of Latin, University , Liverpool. 



BACTERISED PEAT 

 I. From Sir Sydney Olivier, K.C.M.G., B.A., LL.D. 



Sir, — We are a little perplexed by the reference in the cur- 

 rent issue of Science Progress to the relations of the Board 

 of Agriculture and Fisheries with Prof. Bottomley, which 

 appears to us quite inappropriate to the facts of the case ; and 

 as misapprehension on this subject is somewhat general, I 

 should like to give you the facts. 



For the last two years we have been giving King's College 

 a grant in support of Prof. Bottomley 's investigations on 

 bacterised peat, and have been following his experiments with 

 great interest. Facilities for some of these experiments were 

 also granted at Kew, which, as you know, is under the Board's 

 control. In the autumn of last year Prof. Bottomley, in a 

 public lecture, announced that the Board had refused to take 

 advantage of his offer to waive his patent rights and this state- 

 ment formed the subject of comment in the Press at the time. 

 As a matter of fact, no formal offer had been made to the Board 

 nor, if it had been made, could we have accepted it, in view of 

 Prof. Bottomley 's admission that no experiments on a com- 

 mercial scale had been carried out successfully — and, I may 

 add, of the doubts that many of his scientific colleagues still 

 entertain as to the value of his discovery. We have now made 

 arrangements with Dr. Russell of Rothamsted to conduct a 



