I02 



NATURE 



y 



\Dec. 9, 1875 



carrying out these recommendations they suggested that 

 the 700/. should be expended as follows : — " Chemist's 

 salary, 300/. ; agricultural inspector's salary, 150/.," &c. 



The report must render it plain to anyone who has 

 had experience in experimental work of the kind contem- 

 plated that this part of the recommendation is based on 

 imperfect knowledge. "What evidence is there in the history 

 of the Society, or elsewhere, which goes to show that the 

 best man to initiate and conduct investigations on all sub- 

 jects relating to agriculture should be a professional che- 

 mist ? Such a man should have a good general knowledge 

 of all the sciences relating to agriculture. He should be 

 well known as a man of broad views and great grasp of 

 mind. He should, moreover, be thoroughly conversant 

 with the details of modern agriculture. He should have 

 given evidence of being imbued with an ardent desire to 

 elicit truth, as well as of his taste and fitness for conducting 

 experiments. We submit that a really good chemist, pos- 

 sessing all these qualifications, can seldom be found, if 

 he exists in Scotland, let him by all means be made 

 director of the proposed station or stations; not, however^ 

 because he is a chemist, but because he is the best man. 

 There are many chemists who would doubtless be glad to 

 accept such an appointment, and who would be '.as unfit 

 for it as for the direction of the Channel fleet. It Seems 

 incredible that any body of thoughtful men would pro- 

 pose to trust the initiation and direction of experiments 

 on crops and animals to a man who would not necessarily 

 know anything of the habits of either. 



A most peculiar part of the report of the committee 

 to which the Highland Society referred the consideration 

 of this question is the remuneration (150/. a year) they 

 propose for an agricultural inspector. If the views of 

 the committee were acted on, the bond fide value of the 

 experiments would depend on this officer. He should be 

 an accomplished agriculturist. He should possess great 

 intelligence, the highest personal character, and the 

 most rigid love of truth, as well as the sternest sense of 

 duty. He would be expected to initiate experiments from 

 which results of national importance would flow. And 

 this is the man for whom the munificent sum of 1 50/. a 

 year is proposed ! If a man like Mr. Lawes wereto under- 

 take the duty, he would accept no remuneration. In this 

 case 1 50/. a year may be a fair sum to cover travelling and 

 other expenses. But if a competent man is to be employed 

 who cannot afford to work gratuitously, a salary equal 

 to that of the average of intelligent professional men 

 must be offered. This part of the Report has been 

 already denounced in strong and emphatic language ; and 

 we understand it has been opposed by leading members 

 of the Society who value science and appreciate the work 

 to be done. The action of the committee has been 

 openly exposed by Mr. David Ivlilne Home, an ardent 

 advocate of the application of science to agriculture, and 

 by Mr. John Wilson, of Eddington Mains, a truly enlight- 

 ened farmer. These gentlemen contend that the directing 

 head or body should have the power to call in the pro- 

 fessional aid of the best chemist or chemists, and such 

 other experts as may be needed. This view is based on 

 common sense. If they prevail in the councils of the 

 Society, we may expect to see ere long in Scotland agri- 

 cultural stations which in all human probability will give a 

 new stimulus to agricultural progress. If they fail, and 



the work is entrusted to men who are not in every way 

 equal to it, we may get an annual crop of worthless 

 or misleading results, like those which have formed so 

 large a portion of our agricultural literature. 



While the Royal Agricultural Society of Scotland is 

 discussing these matters, a local Agricultural Association 

 formed in Aberdeenshire has actually fixed sites for five 

 stations, at which experiments will be conducted for 

 three years. The Marquis of Huntley is president of 

 the Society, and Mr. Barclay M.P., is among the active 

 members. A sum exceeding 1,000/. has been already 

 subscribed. For the present the experiments will be 

 confined to^the determination of the best states in which 

 to apply phosphates and nitrogen. Each plot is to be 

 i-ii2th'part of an acre. It is to be regretted that potash 

 and one or two other constituents of plants will not be 

 tried. In some respects the scheme devised by the Asso- 

 ciation corresponds with that which I have carried out at 

 Glasnevin for several years, and the results of which I 

 have not, owing to pressure of other work, been able to 

 publish. In the Glasnevin experimental ground the several 

 crops are crossed by the manures ; and thus we bring out 

 the results in a striking way, and guard against inequalities 

 in the soil. We also raised three consecutive grain crops 

 without manure before commencing the experiments. 



Thomas Baldwin 



I 



THE NEW GEOMETRY 

 Syllables of Plane Geometry (corresponding to Euclii 

 Books i.-vi.) Prepared by the Association for thi 

 Improvement of Geometrical Teaching. (London 

 Macmillan, 1875.) 



THE readers of Nature are so well acquainted with , 

 the genesis and growth of the Association whose 1 

 syllabus has recently been given to the public, that we are 

 relieved from all necessity of explaining what objects it 

 has in view. The main result of its five years of labour ; 

 is this Syllabus, and we shall here briefly exhibit some of ] 

 its chief features. It is a double syllabus, being a syllabus I 

 of geometrical constructions and a syllabus of plane i 

 geometry. The former is very brief, and contains such ' 

 constructions as can be made with the ruler and com- 1 

 passes only. This subject of constructive geometry has ] 

 been tried in many schools of late and has been found j 

 generally to answer the end in view. Boys thus obtain i 

 some idea of the objects of pure geometry and of what is 

 involved in the postulates of the science. The more 

 important syllabus is prefaced by a Logical Introduction 

 not that the Association wishes " to imply by this tha. 

 the study of geometry ought to be preceded by a study i 

 of the logical independence of associated theorems.". 

 The opinion of the compilers is " that at first all thej 

 steps by which any theorem is demonstrated should I 

 be carefully gone through by the student, rather than, 

 that its truth should be inferred from the logicalj 

 rules here laid down. At the same time they strongly 

 recommend an early application of general logical prin«j 

 ciples." The President, in one of his addresses, states 

 that the object of this introduction is "to guide tht 

 teacher immediately, and the student ultimately." I 

 contains certain general axioms (as the whole is greate: 

 than its part), and taking as its typical theorem, if ^ is 1 



