PKOCEEDINGS AT GE2s'EKAL MEETl^'GS. 29 



Mr Walker of Bowland said that, as a niemher of tlie committee which considered 

 this subject, and as he differed from them, he thought it his dutj' to state the ground 

 on which he came to that conclusion. His objections were very much of a practical 

 nature, and not grounded on principle, although he thought to a certain extent there 

 was principle involved. He would state two objections conclusive against their makiag 

 this change at present. One was that the proposed mode of selecting members in each 

 district would be a very different thing from the present system, whereby every mem- 

 ber was entitled to send up a name for the consideration of the directors. He believed 

 if they carried out this proposal, and if the Directors did not accept the nominations 

 that might be made, the result would be a collision between the Directors and the mem- 

 bers of the Society. He thought that was a thing that would be extremely deplorable. 

 He did not think "they would desire to force the Directors to select as one of the Board 

 a gentleman whom they thought would make a bad Director. Mr Dudgeon and Mr 

 Gillespie very strongly advocated the proposed change on the ground of its being repre- 

 sentative. Now, he thought it was impossible that it could be representative, as they had 

 no machinery for calling a meeting together. They had no machinery to compel gentle- 

 men to send in answers to voting papers in a district. He did not think that represen- 

 tation was at all intended by the charter, or that it was at all desirable that there 

 should be a strict representation of each district. His second objection was that it 

 would be impracticable in the working, and his advice was to rest content with those 

 changes which the Directors agreed to in the meantime. He thought that Mr. Scott 

 Dudgeon had thrown out a rather unworthy taunt against the committee which had been 

 the standing committee for the selection of names. Now, these gentlemen were all old 

 members of the Society and office-bearers, and surely when they delegated to any body 

 to select persons for the purpose, they preferred those ^^ath some experience— men who 

 had some pre\ious connection with, the Society in preference to those who had come 

 into the Society knowing notliing about the business. 



Mr. Haddon, Honeyburn, said he had no douljt that the tenant-farmers would do 

 justice to the Society by sending men who wouLl perform tlieir duties in a satisfactory 

 manner. 



Mr. CoWE, Balhousie, said that the difficulty he felt in sujiporting Mr Scott 

 Dudgeon's motion was that he did not go far enough, although he felt that it was better 

 to take half a loaf than nothing at all. 



The motion and amendment were then put to the meeting, when Mr Scott Dudgeon's 

 amendment was carried by a large majority. 



CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT. 



Dr. AiTKEN read the following reports on E.xi^eri mental Stations, and Analyses of 

 Analytical Association : — 



Experimental Stations. — At a recent meeting of the Chemical Committee, it was 

 resolved, as the experiments at the Society's stations are now entering on the second 

 rotation, to try the efiect of autunm-manuring as compared with spring manuring. 

 Accordingly each plot has been divided into two, one-half for autumn and one-half for 

 spring-manuring. The manures have already been spread on one of the stations, and 

 tney will be put upon the other as soon as it is in a condition to receive them. Con- 

 siderable imi»rovenients have taken place in the laboratory, a large part of which has 

 now been fitted up expressly for agricultural work, and this much-needed change will 

 greatly facilitate the analytical work in connection with the Society's stations, and 

 other experimental iuf|uiries now being carried on by the chemical department. 



Analyses ok Analytical Association. — At the general meeting of the Society held 

 a year ago, it was resolved that, with the view of encouraging as well as regulating the 

 conduct of Analytical Associations, the Society should contribute from its fund a sum 

 not exceeding £250 annually towards defraying the ex])ense incurred liy them in the 

 analysis of manures and feeding stufi's. The amount of the contribution was fixed at 

 5s. for each full analysis, and 'l>i. 6d. for each partial analysis, and certain conditions 

 were arranged under which these grants were obtainable. 



Most of the analytical associations in the country entered into communication with 

 the Society, and thirteen of them were able so to arrange their rule!* as to bring them 

 into conformity with the comlitions required for the obtaining of the grant. Others 

 Were unable to modify their modes of procedure in time to obtain the grant for tlie past 

 year, but most, if not all of them, will K' in a position to obtain the grant this 

 year. 



The following are the names of the Associations who liave nmde accurate retunis of 

 their analyses, the number and kind of analyses, ami the amount of the grants they 

 liave obtained : — 



