PUOCEEDINGS AT GENEEAL MEETINGS. 21 



moved that two teimut-farnier.s be aililed to the coiiimitlue — \u., Mv Mylue, Nidibio 

 Maius, ami Mr Mehiii, Boiiiiiiigton. 



The uaiut! of the Hon. Guorgu VValdugravo Leslie was also added to the coiii- 

 iiiittee. 



Mr Melvin said ho could only act on the committee on the uuderstauding that the 

 premises were not to he shifted from this ueighhourliood. 



Sir James Gauoinku Daiko said tliat tliey could not put any gentleman ou tho 

 committee who made a special condiliou. 



Chemical DErAUTMENT.— Mr Mackenzie of Portmore said that Dr Aitkeu's lec- 

 tures had been atteiuled with much interest by between hity and eighty, and he had to 

 intimate that they would be contLnued in future on days more suitalile for teiiaut- 

 fai'mers. He then said— As convener of the committee in charge of tlic chemical de- 

 partment, I have to rejiort that tlie remit from the last general meeting to the directors, 

 to consider how members of the Society can be put in possession of the advantages at 

 present given through local associations with a greater guarantee of correctness, was, 

 at the meeting of the Board in February, referred to tlie Chemical Conmiittee. Tliat 

 committee held a meeting on the 26th of February, when the Secretary read a letter 

 from Mr W. 1'. Hope, Leith, the mover of the motion at the general meetiiig, in 

 which he stated that he lielieved the time had now arrived vvhen tlie Society would 

 confer a great boon upon its members by providing them with cheap and accurato 

 analyses and reports upon manures and feeeling stuffs, as also upon the various soils ; 

 and he suggested tliat this be done by the Society's cliemist, the farmers paying the 

 same rate into a fund towards his remuneration as they at present pay to the analyti- 

 cal associations with whicli they are connected, and that the chennst sliould" be 

 instructed to give valuations when asked for, in accordance with the general jirice lists 

 of the day, but not otherwise. Mr Hope also suggested that a form drawn up from 

 the various price lists be continually in the hands of the eliendst, who could send the 

 same to the farmers as the basis of valuation when re(|uired to make the same. The 

 committee re]iorted that, being linuted by the resolutions of former general meetings 

 in regard to the e.xpense of analyses, they saw no way of furthering the object i)roi osed 

 by Mr Hope in that direction ; but they thought it worthy of the consideration of the 

 Boanl whether the chemist should not be authorised to make analyses at rates to be 

 arranged sufficient to pay him ; and that, on his finding manures or feeding stuffs, sold 

 with a guarantee, not coinciding therewith within a certain limit, tlie name of the 

 seller or manufacturer should be published, if deemed expedient, after the analysis 

 has been submitted to him for e.xplanation as to the discrepancy. The board ou tho 

 5th March unanimously approved of the suggestion, and remitted back to the com- 

 mittee to make arrangements for carrying it out. The committee accordingly held a 

 meeting on the l'2th March, and resolved to recommend that the directors shoiUd 

 authorise Dr Aitken to act as analytical chemist to the Society, as well as chemist iu 

 charge of the agricultural stations. Dr Aitken produced to the committee a leaflet 

 containing the scale of charges now made by him, and which he informed the com- 

 mittee was the same as charged by other first-class analytical chemists iu Scotland. 

 The committee, having duly considered the scale of charges, recommended that it be 

 approved of by the directors. A copy of it accompanied their report, and copies may 

 be had either at the Society's chambers or direct from Dr Aitken, Ciieiuical Labora- 

 tory, Clyde Street, Edinburgh. The committee also recommended that in all cases 

 where a member of tlie Society has submitted to the chemist of the Society a sample of 

 manure or feedrng stuff, along with the written guarantee under which he purchased 

 it, and upon analysis the said manure or feeding stuff is found not to couicide with 

 the written guarantee, within certain limits to be hereafter determined, tlie chemist 

 .shall forward the analysis to the seller for e.xplanation, and shall reiiort the case, along 

 with the written guarantee, his analysis, and the explanation of the seller (if any), to 

 the directors for disposal. The committee further suggested that publicity should be 

 given to the proposed action, if adopted, and that, where necessary, the name of the 

 defaulter should be published in the newspaper report of the directors' meeting. The 

 directors, ou the 2d of AprU, remitted back to the committee to frame a plan of pro- 

 cedure, and report to ne.xt meeting. The committee again met on the 23d April, 

 and having carefully considered the whole subject, resolved to recommend — 1st, That 

 a table of simple but clear instructions for selecting and sending samples of artificial 

 manures and feeding stuffs for analysis be prepared for the use of membei-s of the 

 Society. 2d, That this table be submitted to the next general meeting of the Society, 

 an<l authority rei|uested to the following course of action, viz.: — That when any mem- 

 ber of the Society shall have purchased artificial manure or feeding stufl's under a 

 written guarantee, and shall have submitted to the Society's analytical cliemist a 

 sample of such artificial manure or fee<ling stuffs, taken in accordance with the 

 Society's instructions above referred to ; and when upon analysis the Society's chemist 

 shall discover that serious discrepancy exists between the actual constituents of the 

 articles so analysed and the supposed constituents as taken from the guarautee under 



