356 Record of the Royal Society. 



Professor H. E. ARMSTRONG, LL.D., F.R.S The Chemical Society. 



WILLIAM CARRTJTHERS, Esq., F.R.S The Linnean Society. 



Sir JOHN H. THOROLD, Bart., LL.D > The Eoyal Agricultural 



Viscount EMLYN* J Society of England. 



And Sir J. B. LAWES himself. 

 The Secretary to the Committee is Mr. HERBERT Rix, B.A. 



From June 1843, up to the present time, Dr. (now Sir) J. Henry 

 'Gilbert has been associated with Sir John Bennet Lawes in the con- 

 duct of the experiments, and has had the direction of the laboratory. 



In 1854-5 a new laboratory was built, by public subscription of 

 agriculturists, and was presented to Sir John Lawes in July 1855, 

 from which date the old barn-laboratory was abandoned, and the new 

 one has been occupied. 



The staff usually consists of one to three chemists, two or three 

 general assistants, two to four computers and record-keepers, a 

 laboratory man and other helps. A botanical assistant has also occa- 

 sionally been employed, with from three to six boys under him. 



The field experiments, and occasionally feeding experiments, also 

 employ a considerable but a very variable number of agricultural 

 labourers. 



There is now a collection of more than 40,000 bottles of samples 

 of experimentally grown vegetable produce, of animal products, of 

 ashes, or of soils, besides some thousands of samples not in bottles ; 

 and, the Laboratory having become very inconveniently full, a new 

 detached building a " Sample House " was erected in the autumn 

 of 1888, comprising two large rooms for the storing of specimens, 

 and for some processes of preparation, and also a drying room. 



The investigations may be classed under two heads : 



I. Field Experiments, Experiments on Vegetation, 8fc. 



The general scope and plan of the field experiments has been to 

 grow some of the most important crops of rotation, each separately, 

 year after year, for many years in succession on the same land, with- 

 out manure, with farmyard manure, and with a great variety of 

 chemical manures ; the same description of manure being, as a rule, 

 applied year after year on the same plot. Experiments on an actual 

 course of rotation, without mamire, and with different manures, have 

 also been made. 



II. Experiments on Animals, fyc. 



Experiments with the animals of the farm were commenced early 

 in 1847, and have been continued, at intervals, nearly up to the pre- 

 sent time. 



* Vice Charles Whitehead, Esq., resigned in 1896. 



