75o Agriculture at Oxford University, [dec, 1909. 



tury before, when, in 1796, Dr. Sibthorp, then Professor of 

 Botany at Oxford, bequeathed land worth about ,£200 a year 

 for the endowment of a Chair of Rural Economy. The Sib- 

 thorpian Professorship, as it was called, was, however, prac- 

 tically amalgamated with the Professorship of Botany, and 

 from 1796 to 1884 it was never held independently. In the 

 latter year Sir Henry Gilbert was appointed to the Sibthorpian 

 Professorship, and held the post for two periods of three years 

 each, during which he gave lectures chiefly on the results 

 obtained experimentally at Rothamsted. During the agricul- 

 tural depression which occurred after 1878 the income from the 

 endowment fell to about ^120 a year, and this was absorbed 

 during 1891-4 in the maintenance of farm buildings and 

 expenditure on improvements on the estate. After an interval 

 of three years, Professor Warington was appointed in 1894, 

 and held the post until 1900. On his resignation no further 

 appointment was made, owing to the reconstitution of the 

 Professorship being under discussion. 



For some years prior to this, proposals for including agri- 

 cultural science in the curriculum of the University had been 

 made, but, although they obtained considerable support, no 

 definite action was taken until 1905, when, on the abolition of 

 the Royal Engineering College at Cooper's Hill, Oxford was 

 charged with the education of the selected probationers for 

 the Indian Forest Service. In order to provide for the instruc- 

 tion of these probationers, the University agreed to reconsti- 

 tute the Sibthorpian Professorship. The College of St. 

 John's came forward and augmented the stipend of the 

 professor by £600 a year, and subsequently associated the 

 professorship with a fellowship in that College, and also 

 undertook the erection of a laboratory with the necessary 

 class-room accommodation, the cost of which has been 

 approximately ,£10,000. 



The duties of the Sibthorpian Professor, as amended by 

 Statute in 1905, are defined to be the giving of lectures and 

 instruction on the scientific principles of agriculture and 

 forestry, including the pathology of plants. Dr. W. Somer- 

 ville was appointed to the Professorship in 1906. Shortly 

 afterwards the Hebdomadal Council instituted a Committee 

 for the organisation of the study of Rural Economy, and also 

 established a Diploma in the subject. 



