INTEODUCTION 



Mil (afterwards Sir) John Bennet Lawes was the founder of the Roth- 

 amsted Experimental Station. He began experiments with various 

 manurial substances, first with plants in pots and then in the field, soon 

 xifter entering into possession of the estate of Rothamsted in 1834. In 

 1843 more systematic field experiments were begun, and the services of 

 Dr (afterwards Sir) J. H. Gilbert were obtained as Director, thus starting 

 the long association which only terminated with the death of Sir John 

 Lawes in 1900, followed by that of Sir Henry Gilbert in 1901. 



The Rothamsted Experimental Station has never been connected with 

 any external organisation, but has been maintained entirely at the cost of 

 Sir John Lawes. In 1889 he constituted a trust for the continuance of 

 the investigations, setting apart for that purpose the laboratory (which had 

 been built by public subscription, and presented to him in 1855), certain 

 areas of land on which the experimental plots were situated, and £100,000. 



By the provisions of the trust-deed, the management is entinisted to a 

 ►committee nominated by the Royal Society (four persons), the Royal 

 Agricultural Society (two persons), the Chemical and Linnean Societies 

 -(one each), and the owner of Rothamsted. 



The field experiments, which began in 1843, have on some of the plots 

 been continued without break or alteration up to the present day ; on the 

 Broadbalk wheat field certain rearrangements were made in 1852, in which 

 year also the barley experiments on the Hoos field began. The leguminous 

 crops on the Hoos field were started in 1848, the experiments on roots 

 have been continued on the same field since 1843, and on the same plan 

 since 1856. The grass plots began in 1856, and the rotation experiments 

 in 1848. 



It should be remembered that the object of the Rothamsted experi- 

 ments is to ascertain " how the plant grows," and only indirectly to find 

 the most paying method and manuring ; hence both the nature and the 

 quantities of material applied are not to be taken as indicating the 

 manures to be used in practice. 



