38 THE SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES 



will not be surprised that such field-experiments are 

 not more general. 



Prior to the appearance of Liebig's first work, in 

 1840, Mr., now Sir John Bennet Lawes, commenced 

 experiments with different manuring substances, first 

 with plants in pots, and afterwards in the field, at 

 Rothamsted, into the hereditary possession of which 

 he had entered on his majority in 1834. The results 

 so obtained on a small scale in 1837, J ^3^» an( ^ l &39> 

 were such as to lead to more extensive trials in the 

 field in 1840, 1841, and subsequently. 



In 1843, more systematic field-experiments were 

 commenced; and a barn, which had already been 

 applied to laboratory purposes, became almost ex- 

 clusively devoted to agricultural investigations. 

 These, which are still in progress, have been con- 

 ducted entirely at the cost of Sir John Lawes, who 

 has further set apart a sum of £100,000, and certain 

 areas of land, for their continuance after his death. 



In June 1843, I became associated with Mr. Lawes 

 in the conduct of these investigations; and as it is 

 doubtless my connexion with them (which still con- 

 tinues), to which my election to this Chair is mainly 

 to be attributed, it will not be out of place to give, 

 on this occasion, a brief outline of the scope and plan 

 of the work which has been accomplished, during the 

 more than forty years of its continuance. That I 

 should do so seems the more desirable, since I inter- 

 pret my appointment as indicating a feeling on the 

 part of the Electors, that the results acquired in this 

 long period of investigation of the scientific principles 

 of agriculture, many of which are known by their 

 publication, must have provided important material 

 for illustration, in the lectures which it will be my 



