90 



a chemist of no mean repute) have worked together in agricultural 

 investigation until now their names are inseparably linked in the history 

 of modern agriculture. 



With the exception of the Experiment Station founded by the 

 eminent chemist Boussingault in Alsace, Rothamsted was the first 

 place at which systematic experiments in agriculture were tried. 

 Germany followed in the good work by the establishment of a Station 

 at Mockern in 1852. It was there that the writer saw a few years ago 

 Respiration Experiments in progress, involving the use of costly and 

 elaborate apparatus and a great expenditure of skilled labour of the 

 highest order. And it may be here remarked that the results of these 

 investigations have done much towards putting the feeding of animals 

 on an economic and scientific basis. Oa this continent the first agri- 

 cultural experiment station was founded in Connecticut in 1875. Sir 

 John Lawes could therefore very properly claim priority for Rothamsted 

 in this noble and im]iortant work, and it is here but meagre justice to 

 state that from this early date the.'e investigations have been conducted 

 at his sole expense. 



With the large staff of chemi-^ts constantly engaged, it is easy to 

 imagine the vast amount of data that from time to time has accu- 

 mul; ted at Rothamsted. The published accounts of these are to be 

 found in the transactions of the Royal Society (England,) of the Royal 

 Agricultural, the Chemical and other scientific societies as well as in 

 pamph'et form and in journals devoted to agriculture. If they were 

 now collated they would fill many large volumes. Recognizing the 

 tremendous importance of the work and wishful that it should continue 

 af'er his lifetime. Sir J. B. Lawes in 1889 endowed the institution and 

 entrusted its management to a board of trustees. With great generosity 

 he made over to them the new cheinical laboratories recently built, 

 the experimental fields and ^100,000 as an endowment fund. In 

 this deed of trust, known as the Lawes Agricultural Trust, Sir John made 

 provision for a course of lectures on the Rothamsted Experiments to be 

 delivered biennially in the United States so "that Americans may share 

 in any benefit that may arise" from the work there, past, present and 

 future. 



Mr. Robert Warington, F.R.S., so long an associate with Dr. Gilbert 



