4 PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 



but he had obtained the sanction of the Directors to an enlargement, so that 

 he would be enabled to publish papers more rapidly than had hitherto been 

 done. He might mention that the papers referred to would form part of the 

 forthcoming number. The subject had engaged the attention of the Directors, 

 and they had authorised the Committee on Publications to communicate to 

 the agricultural newspapers such matters as might be of importance and 

 interest, but which could not appear in the Transactions for some time. 



Postponement of General and District Shows. 



Mr Kinloch, yr. of Gilmerton reported, that owing to the prevalence of cattle 

 plague, the shows, which were arranged to be held at Glasgow in the summer 

 of 1866, and at Aberdeen in the summer of 1867, had been respectively post- 

 poned for one year. 



Mr Campbell Swinton made a similar anouncement with regard to the 

 district shows. 



Agricultural Education. 



Mr Walker of Bowland, reported that the examinations took place on 

 the 7th of March last, when two students were found entitled to the Society's 

 Agricultural Certificate and Diploma — viz., E. H. Goddard, Newcastle-on- 

 Tyne ; and G. Y. Wall, jun., Durham — both educated at the Koyal Agri- 

 cultural College, Cirencester. The two prizes annually allowed to the 

 students who pass the best and second best examinations in the agricultural 

 class in the University of Edinburgh, were this year awarded by Professor 

 Wilson to — 1st, Francis Moffat Haldane, Edinburgh ; 2d, David Carswell, 

 Eathillet, Fifeshire. 



Chemical Department. 



Professor Anderson gave in the report on the chemical department. 

 During the past six months the amount of work gone through in the 

 laboratory was very large. The number of analyses made for the members of 

 the Society exceeded the number in preceding years, and had involved many 

 matters not only of individual interest, but of importance to the community 

 at large. He had particularly directed his attention at this time to the 

 adulteration of oilcake — a subject of such importance that he thought it 

 necessary to publish a short paper in the last issue of the Transactions. Since 

 that time he had prosecuted inquiries as far as possible, and had discovered 

 some cases of adulteration. He had seen several samples of linseed sold to 

 manufacturers which really contained only a small per cent, of that substance, 

 the remainder being seeds of grasses and weeds. He had no doubt that was 

 carried on to a considerable extent. He had observed some curious points 

 connected with the supply of Peruvian guano this year. It was generally 

 under the average. Several cargoes contained masses of saline matter, and 

 small stones and sand to the extent of five, ten, and even more per cent. — a 

 very unusual occurrence. Several cases of very flagrant adulteration had also 

 occurred. During the past few months, he had also been occupied in arrang- 

 ing the details of the system of field experiments now determined on by the 

 Society. He had had to organise the whole system on which these experi- 

 ments were to proceed, which involved a large amount of correspondence, and 

 a great deal of miscellaneous work. The whole manures were weighed by 

 himself and his coadjutors, and it would give an idea of the amount of work 

 when he stated that upwards of one thousand parcels of manure of different 

 kinds had been thus weighed out. All this had been done with great care, so 

 as to secure the most perfect uniformity in the experiments. The experi- 

 menters had had special instructions given them, so that the thing might be 

 done in a satisfactory manner. Through the instrumentality of the local 

 committees, a body of experimenters had been selected, men of the very 



