128 



NATURE 



[June 24, 1922 



quarter of a million it will be possible to provide 

 the buildings necessary to allow of the removal of 

 the purely academic side of the University College 

 from its present site, and also to provide the ad- 

 ministrative accommodation which will be necessary 

 for the proposed University if and when its charter 

 is granted. The University College, by the terms of 

 the draft charter to be presented to the Privy Council, 

 will form the nucleus of the new institution, to be 

 reinforced from time to time by the association of 

 other colleges in the province as they are approved 

 by the Board of Education. Hence it was appro- 

 priate for the architect of the new buildings, Mr. 

 Morley Horder, to describe his drawings in the 

 Royal Academy of this year as of the East Midland 

 University. 



The buildings will be of sober classical style in the 

 English tradition of Wren. They will be grouped 

 in a range of. quadrangles rising from a lake, some 

 twelve acres in extent, with a terraced garden in 

 front. As the railway passenger approaches by the 

 Midland line from Trent, the white Portland eleva- 

 tions of the various buildings will be seen on high 

 ground to the left. Owing to the conformation of 

 the site a view is obtained from the front of the 

 University over the valley of the Trent. 



The Highfields Park which surrounds the University 

 buildings affords opportunities for such extensions 

 as the future may demand. Beyond the ample provi- 

 sion thus made, extending to many acres, the large 

 park, by the noble generosity of Sir Jesse Boot, is 

 dedicated to the use of his fellow-citizens. On the 

 southern side of the lake a wide boulevard, containing 

 alternate roads and avenues of trees, affords an 

 approach to the city from the west, and incidentally 

 a means of access to the University buildings. From 

 this boulevard there will open playing-fields, some 

 of which will be allotted to the University. The 

 amenities, therefore, of the city and the University 

 will be combined in a' manner which is advantageous 

 to both. The laying out of the boulevard, the lake, 

 and the park will involve a cost of some 200,000/., 

 which again is a gift from Sir Jesse Boot. 



The imaginative construction of the whole imposing 

 scheme is peculiarly that of the donor, and his 

 especially is the credit in this, respect. There are not 

 inany persons who have entered completely into his 

 idea, and it is characteristic of his point of view that 

 he insists that the first part of the buildings to be 

 erected must include the fine terraced garden which 

 shall unite the University buildings with the lake. 

 This garden involves the fine stone retaining walls 

 which are necessary upon the sloping ground. Lord 

 Haldane spoke effectively of the ideal of a civic 

 university, and it thus appears that it will be material- 

 ised through a conception which involves, not only 

 the relation of the university to the city, but of the 

 city to the university. Such a conception has 

 formed itself for the first time in the mind of a 

 citizen. 



Rothamsted Experimental Station. 



'T^HE Society for Extending the Rothamsted 

 -*■ Experiments on Agricultural Science held its 

 annual meeting at the Rothamsted Experimental 

 Station, Harpenden, on Wednesday, June 14, when 

 some 80 members of the Society and guests were 

 present. 



The morning was occupied in the inspection of 

 some of the experimental fields, which were de- 

 monstrated by members of the staff. After luncheon 

 the meeting was addressed by Lord Bledisloe, who 

 presided in the absence of the Duke of Devonshire. 



I-ord Bledisloe described the important function 

 fulfilled by the Society for Extending the Rothamsted 

 Experiments in assisting the station to pursue its 

 investigations in agricultural science. He mentioned 

 that it was hoped with the aid of Government grants 

 to begin the construction of new laboratories at 

 Rothamsted for the study of diseases and pests of 

 agricultural crops, and to make other much-needed 

 additions to the station. As the Government grant 

 is conditional upon the station itself raising a certain 

 sum by private donations, the Society hopes to 

 collect 5376/. during the current year for this purpose. 

 Lord Bledisloe concluded by voicing the congratula- 

 tions of the meeting to the director, Sir John Russell,^ 

 on the honour of knighthood recently conferred upon 

 him in recognition of his work in agricultural science. 



Sir John Russell then gave a brief account of the 

 problems under investigation in the laboratories, 

 after which the Minister of Agriculture, Sir A. 

 Griffith-Boscawen, in a short speech, said that the 

 policy of the Government was to make provision 

 for, and to encourage, agricultural education and 

 research as the safest and best means of helping 

 British agriculture. He added that in this policy 

 he had the support of all shades of agricultural 

 opinion, and referred to the general approval of the 

 recent grant of 1,000,000/. for education and research 

 which was made when the Corn Production Act was 

 repealed. Sir Daniel Hall, the Chief Scientific 

 Adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture and a former 

 director of Rothamsted, also spoke, and pointed out 

 the great value of the experimental fields to Rotham- 

 sted, in that they focussed attention upon problems 

 which had both scientific and practical interest. 



Mr. Shepperson of the National Farmers' Union, 

 and Mr. George Dallas of the Workers' Union, also 

 expressed on behalf of their respective organisations 

 their support of the policy outlined by the Minister 

 of Agriculture. 



In the afternoon the visitors inspected the labora- 

 tories and discussed with the staff some of the 

 investigations in progress. Special attention was 

 given to the work of the entomological and myco- 

 logical laboratories, which at present is being con- 

 ducted in unsuitable and overcrowded quarters. It 

 is hoped that the effort of the Society for Extending 

 the Rothamsted Experiments will enable adequate 

 accommodation to be provided for this work in the 

 near future. 



University and Educational Intelligence. 



Cambridge. — Mr. F. C. Bartlett, St. John's 

 College, has been appointed reader in experimental 

 psychology and director of the Psychological Labora- 

 tory. Mr. H. A. Cox has been appointed Gurney 

 University lecturer in forestry. Mr. G. S. Carter, 

 Gonville and Caius College, has been elected to a 

 research studentship at Naples and nominated to 

 use the University table there. Honorary degrees 

 are to be conferred on ex-President Taft, Chief- 

 Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of 

 America, and upon Mr. H. Stone, University lecturer 

 in forestry. 



The following elections and awards are announced : 

 to a Harkness scholarship in geology, H. Hemmings, 

 St. John's College ; to Frank Smart prizes in botany 

 and zoology, J. Barker, Trinity College, and C. F. A. 

 Pantin, Christ's College, respectively ; to the Wilt- 

 shire prize in geology, W. D. West, St. John's College. 



St. Andrews. — At a meeting of the University on 

 June 9, a letter was read from Prof. A. S. Butler 

 resigning the chair of natural philosophy as at the 

 end of September. It was agreed to announce the 



2747, VOL. 109] 



