22 PROCEEDINGS AT GENEEAL MEETINGS. 



was somewhat new. They had been speaking of the results of going to a teaching, and 

 perliap.s a scientific chemist, and not to a man who devoted his attention entirely to 

 agricultural chemistry. Dr Anderson might have known barley from oats, but he did 

 not know that he would know them until they were shot ; and there were many things 

 he did not know in practical agriculture at all. He thought they should not deprive 

 themselves of the right entirely of appointing a practical chemical agriculturist, if they 

 could get such a man. He moved that the consideration of the report be delayed, 

 and that the Directors consider the reports received by the Foreign Office to which he 

 had referred. 



The Chairm.vn — These reports have not been'received. 



Mr Milne Home said that Mr Maclagan had done him the honour of sending him 

 the reports referred to Ijy Mr Melvin for perusal ; but he had received them only 

 yesterday. They gave an account of the stations in Austria, Belgium, and France, 

 and also returns from Russia and Holland, in which there were no stations at present. 

 But it appeared from these reports that the Governments both of Russia and Holland 

 were at this moment considering the subject, A reporter had been sent to Germany 

 by the Russian Government with the view of reporting on these stations and intro- 

 ducing them into Russia. He thought it important that the deputation appointed to 

 go to London should do so immediately, as they would go at the very time when Eai'l 

 Derby saw from these reports what was about to be done by Foreign Governments. 

 He would be sorry if the proposal were hung up for six months. That would be 

 scarcely to the credit of the Society, after having intimated to her Majest}''s Govern- 

 ment in February that a deputation was to be sent forthwith to support tlie Memorial. 



The Chairman said he understood the reports had been laid before Mr Milne Home 

 individually, and that they were not before the Society as a society. 



Mr Melvin said they might not have been received by Mr Milne Home, simply 

 because Mr Maclagan thought he would present them to the Society. 



Mr Scot-Skirving pointed out that Mr Wilson and Mr Milne Home had argued the 

 matter entirely on one half of its prenuses. To his nnnd the greatest reason for 

 appointing a chemist had nothing to do with experimental stations at all. It gave 

 them a man in whom the farmei's of Scotland had confidence in sending their artificial 

 manures and foods for analysis. There was much reason in what was said about 

 their departed trend Dr Anderson. He always thought, for one, that Dr Anderson 

 was a great deal too timid in not tabling the names of those from whom the adulter- 

 ated stuffs were obtained. The chemist should be prepared to give the names in such 

 cases, and if they dared to prosecute, the Society should stand or fall by him. Refer- 

 ring to the question of salary, he stated that he (pute conceived that they could obtain 

 the services of a good chemist at a smaller salary than even was ])roposed for the 

 stamp it would give him — his appointment sliowing that the Society had confidence in 

 him. 



Sir Thomas Hepburn hoped tlie meeting would not'consent to Mr Melvin's proposal, 

 so as to delay the matter. If it were delayed, he thought the Highland Society would 

 become the; laughing-stock of the whole country. It appeared to him that if they 

 were to have experimental stations without the aid of a chemist, they would be unable 

 to proceed in a scientific manner. The chemist could consider what were the con- 

 stituents of the soil and of the manures applied, and, after the crop had reached per- 

 fection, tell how much of the manure remained in the soil, and afford other informa- 

 tion which would be available in future years. Mr Milne Home stated that Mr Lawes 

 hail given him his advice to the effect that they should not have anything to do with 

 chemistry. That gentleman had been kind enough to let him see the correspondence, 

 from which it appeared that the objection was entirely on the ground of the expense. 

 The experiments at Rothamstead had been carried on for many years, but they 

 Avere isolated ; and it seemed to him that it would be desirable that the High- 

 land Society should carry out and repeat many of these exijeriments in order to 

 jn-ove their results. They were unquestionably important, both to the landed pro- 

 prietors and the agriculturists. Mr Lawes had grown barley on the same ground 

 for fifteen or twenty years by the use of a small amount of artificial manures, and 

 done so profitably. If that were the case, and they could grow white crops in 

 succession, their system of leases should be modified, and the tenant liave greater 

 freedom in the working of the land. Then there was the question of compensation for 

 unexhausted manures. Perhaps that subject was not of so much importance in Scot- 

 land, where they had nineteen and twenty years' leases ; but in England they were 

 tenants at will There was no data on which that could be settled, except what was 

 afforded by a chennst. The members of the Society had had the privilege of having 

 their analyses made by its chemist at a lower rate than to the jiublic. He was told 

 that][that was illegal, and that their charter did not permit it. As far as he could read 

 the charter, such a ]iurpose ajipeared to him to be quite in accordance with it. 



]\rr Smith, Whittingham, said that Mr Wilson and his supporters seemed only 

 anxious that the Society should get value for the money it paiil to a chemist. He 



