M.— AGRICULTURE 247 



most important substances, on which the nature and properties of the 

 soil depend to such a great extent. 



In many other directions fundamental soil science has made in this 

 century, and is making, marked advances. But I have already kept you 

 long enough. There is, however, one other subject on which, if you will 

 bear with me, I would like to offer a remark before I stop. Fertilisers we 

 may class along with the soil for they are substances used to increase the 

 productivity or make up the deficiencies of the soil. From small begin- 

 nings a century ago the fertiliser industry has grown to be one of the 

 world's greatest chemical industries. In the early days of the industry 

 this country played a notable part, but in the latter part of last century and 

 the early part of this one, when the whole of our soil science was in a some- 

 what backward position, our fertiliser industry also fell into the back- 

 ground. We have recently seen a great revival consequent upon this 

 industry again becoming scientific instead of depending merely upon 

 commercial and business ability. For this change and improvement we 

 may, I think, give much of the credit to Imperial Chemical Industries, who 

 are now our greatest fertiliser manufacturers, and who make the manu- 

 facture of manures an important section of their business. The older 

 type of fertiliser manufacturers may have employed a few works analysts, 

 but they did not pay for the best scientific brains to help them to introduce 

 new processes and to improve old ones. That has been changed by I.C.I. , 

 and we have a new spirit in the fertiliser industry and we are regaining some- 

 thing of the great position we once held in that important branch of 

 chemical manufacture. It is to be hoped that this will continue. If we 

 are not to fall back into the old state of lethargy we must continue with 

 long-range research, as the Germans and Americans are doing, carried 

 out by educated and competent persons. That is the only way if we are to 

 continue to advance and keep in the front. 



Physics is not the only branch of science in which revolutionary changes 

 have been made in the twentieth century. Even in soil science we have 

 seen a structure built up which the agricultural chemists of a generation ago 

 would find strange. In the British Isles at the beginning of the century 

 there was almost no soil science, now we are taking our due part in building 

 up and nurturing this branch of knowledge. We have now not only the 

 great station at Rothamsted but also the Macaulay Institute at Aberdeen, 

 which is engaged in the study of soils of different types from those of the 

 south-east of England and is approaching soil study from a somewhat 

 different angle. There are also in our Universities and Agricultural 

 Colleges quite a number of soil investigators of distinction who are dealing 

 with the soils of many other parts of the country. 



At the same time I think it is true to say that in Britain the fundamental 

 attitude towards soil study remains the same. It is difficult for us to 

 achieve the complete detachment of the Russians and study soils entirely 

 apart from any practical agricultural applications which our studies may 

 have. Purely scientific study of the soil is being made in this country also, 

 but we always find it difficult not to remember that the good brown earth 

 is primarily of interest to us for crop growth. It is right that it should be 

 so. It is right to keep pure and applied science in the closest touch with 



