BIOGEAPHICAL INTRODUCTION xxv 



extensive plant for the manufacture of sulphuric acid. In 1866 

 Mr Lawes purchased the tartaric and citric acid factory at 

 Mill wall. The purchase was unwillingly made, but the new 

 work was taken up with his accustomed energy and enterprise, 

 many economies and improvements were introduced, and the 

 factory became the most important of its kind in this country. 

 In 1872 he sold the whole of his manure business for 300,000 ; 

 he retained the tartaric and citric acid factory till his death. 

 Mr Lawes had also a large sugar estate in Queensland : the 

 low price of sugar and the lack of cheap labour prevented, in 

 this instance, a commercial success. 



The investigations at E-othamsted made rapid progress. In 

 1843 were commenced the systematic field experiments on 

 turnips and wheat ; the wheat field has grown wheat without 

 intermission ever since. In 1847 the field experiments on 

 beans commenced, and in 1848 those on clover, and on a four- 

 course rotation. In 1851 the rotations of wheat and fallow 

 and wheat and beans were started. In 1852 the field experi- 

 ments on barley commenced. In 1856 those on grass land. 

 In all about 40 acres were brought under experiment. Of all 

 these crops complete chemical statistics were obtained. 

 Experiments on sheep-feeding with various foods commenced 

 in 1848. The whole bodies of ten animals oxen, sheep, and 

 pigs of various ages and conditions as to fatness, were analysed 

 between 1848 and 1850. In 1850 an extensive series of pig- 

 feeding experiments was made. 



The extent of the work undertaken, its thoroughness, and 

 the practical value of the results obtained, gained the admira- 

 tion of both scientific and practical men. At a meeting of 

 Hertfordshire farmers at St Albans, on December 24, 1853, it 

 was resolved to present Mr Lawes with a testimonial. The 

 circular issued states : " It was considered that Mr Lawes has 

 for many years been engaged in a series of scientific and 

 disinterested investigations for the improvement of agriculture 

 generally, which have been carried out to an extent, with an 

 attention to accuracy and detail, and at a cost, never before 



