238 A VISIT TO EOTHAMSTED. 



A VISIT TO EOTHAMSTED. 

 By Dr Axdrew P. Aitkex, Chemist to the Society. 



EoTHAMSTED, wliose name is now familiar among agriculturists 

 as a household word, is a fine old estate in the neighbourhood 

 of St Albans, Herts. It is about 25 miles distant from London, 

 and is reached in about an hour by the j\Iidlaud Eailway. The 

 station is Harpenden, close by the pretty little village of that 

 name, and from it may be seen the gate of Eothamsted, and the 

 laro-e handsome buildins; which is the chemical laboratorv. 

 About half a mile distant is the famous experimental station. 

 There is certainly no spot of ground in all England so full of 

 interest and instruction to agriculturists, and so well deser\ing 

 of a visit by all who are interested in the history and ]3rogress 

 of scientific agriculture, as the few acres contained by this 

 experimental farm. The proprietor of Eothamsted is Dr J. B. 

 Lawes, who inherited it in the year 1834, and who, in 1843, 

 founded the experimental station wliich he has maintained ever 

 since. His attention had early been directed to the valuable 

 researches of De Saussure on the conditions of plant life, and 

 he began experimenting with dissolved phosphates and other 

 manures. The results were so mteresting that, in 1843, he com- 

 menced a systematic series of field experiments, and secured the 

 co-operation of a skilled chemist, — Dr J. H. Gill)ert, who has 

 ever since been associated with Dr Lawes in all his work. 

 Under his direction a barn was converted into a chemical 

 laborator}', and in it the ever-increasing chemical work of the 

 station was conducted for about twelve years. The importance 

 of the work carried on during these years was widely appreciated, 

 and, in 1855, a subscription was raised among a large number 

 of agriculturists, wherewith a large laboratory was built, and 

 presented to Dr Lawes in recognition of the services he had 

 rendered to agriculture. Since then the work in the laboratory 

 has progressed uninterruptedly, and has been continually increas- 

 ing. The staff of workers now numbers twelve or more. Of 

 these three are skilled chemists, who perform minute analysis, 

 and carry on chemical investigations of all kinds ; three are 

 general assistants, who superintend the out-door work of the 

 field experiments, the making and applying of maniu'es, the 

 weighing and measuring of crops, and who preserve samples, and 

 also partially analyse the various products of the farm. Already 

 25,000 bottles are stored and arranged on the shelves of the 

 laboratory, containmg samples of the various vegetable and 

 animal products, ashes, soils, &c., connected with the experi- 

 ments. There is also a botanist on the staff', who has a varying 

 number of assistants under him. Three computers are constantly 



