SCIENCE-GO Sir. 



[29 



SIR JOHN BENNET LAWES, BART. 



BY the death, on A.ugus1 31st, of sir John 

 Bennei Lawes. F.R.8., LL.D., D.C.L., D.Sc, 

 n B., firsl baronet, the world a1 large is poorer 

 l>v the Iobs of an unselfish investigator in the 



sciei of the chemistry of agriculture, and one 



with world-wide reputation. The experimental 

 farm ;ii Rothamsted, in Hertfordshire, is known 

 wherever agricultural chemistry is in practice. 

 sir John Lawes was the eldesl son of Mr. John 

 Bennei Lawes, of Rothamsted, where he was born 

 un December 28, 181 I. and succeeded to the estate 

 a1 the raily age of eight years. Ivlueatod at Eton, 

 in L832 be wenl in Brasenose College, Oxford, 

 where he studied for three years. Even then the 

 chemistry nf vegetation lia«l attracted bis atten- 

 t i<m, and on his return in 

 Rothamsted he began \\ bat 

 afterwards became his life's 

 work. In the early stages 

 he secured the services of 

 a young chemist named 

 Dobson, their experiments 

 being conducted in flower- 

 pots. Mr. Lawes then ap- 

 plied the results nf these 

 investigations to fields on 

 his farm and. they proving 

 -ncce-sful. patented the 

 process, and commenced to 

 manufacture at Deptford, 

 anil later at Barking, on 

 promises occupying no loss 

 than 100 acres of land, what 

 became known as "super- 

 phosphates " for artificial 

 manure. This industry he 

 fostered until 1872, when 

 he disposed, for a sum of 

 300,0002., of his interest in 



the business, and confined his whole attention to the 

 researches in which he was so eminently success- 

 ful. It is interesting- to note that the type of 

 trade he thus founded has grown to be worth 

 upwards of a couple of millions sterling each year 

 in this country alone. In IN|:> Dr. Joseph Henry 



Gilbert joined Lawes as an assistant, the result 

 being that he, like sir John, has been honoured for 

 the sake of science, and has become the celebrated 

 Sir Henry Gilbert, Director of the Rothamsted 

 Laboratory. It is gratifying fcd find thai thai 

 institution will be continued in future under pro- 

 vision made by sir John Lawes, he having placed 

 at the disposal of trustees the laboratory and certain 

 other premises, with an endowment fund of 

 L00.O00Z. This occurred in 1889, so that the 

 splendid work inaugurated by sir John will uol be 



n, ,. 1900.— No. 77, Vol.. VII. 



Photo bill 



Sir John Bexnet 



intei 1 ipted by his lamentable death. 1 >i 

 in the trusl deed instructs the commit! 

 managemenl to select and despatch, from time to 

 time, a qualified lecturer to the U'nited Stal 



Amu i iic spread mm hal • itry a kno 



the successful results attained at Rothamsted. 



Sir John's name i- -,, intimately associated with 

 Rothamsted that it is nol generally known that he 

 was at one time one of the mosl importanl manu- 

 facturers of chemicals in this country, he having 

 owned and most successfully conducted a factor) 

 for producing tartaric and citric' acid at Millwall, 

 on the river Thames. 



We believe that Rothamsted was the pioneer 

 station for the systematic- investigation of agricul- 

 tural chemistry and modem 

 experimental farming I 

 still maintain- it- position 

 as one of the more im- 

 portant in the world. 1 1 •• 

 fields occupied by the in- 

 vestigations occupy a 

 forty acre- of land. The 

 experiments have 

 entirely confined to the 

 vegetation alone, but fur- 

 ther, on its effect on pro- 

 fitable feeding of farm 

 animal-. 



As might be expected 

 from a businesslike and 

 systematic mind such as 

 that of Lawes. most care- 

 ful record was kept of the 

 work done from the early 

 days of his undertaking. 

 The first published r< - 

 porl appeared in 18 IT ; 

 the subsequent issui 

 reaching nine volumes. Sir J< hn was more a 

 man of practice than theory, and consequently his 

 literary remains are chiefly in the form of papers 

 on the science and practice nf agriculture than long 

 treatises. These scattered papers number over 

 120, and from 1847 to a recent date w< re collected 

 and bound in three quarto and six octavo volumes. 

 These sir John presented to various institutions 

 throughout the world. He was a frequent con- 

 tributor tn ' iltural new -paper-, and his 



communications always commanded di ■ 



attention on account of their practical valued S 



simple but effects e advice was given in his articles 

 thai they wen- received with respect by even the 

 iiin-i unprogressive country gentleman or farmer. 



Such a brain as that of sir John Lawes was 

 bound in time tn receive public recognition. This 



1 



[Barraud, London 



Lawes. Bai:t.. I'.l;.s. 



