360 
Report of the Council. 
dation of Sir James Caird, to advdse the Indian Government, after 
personal examination and inquiry, as to the best course to be adopted 
for the improvement of Indian agriculture by scientific means. Dr. 
Voelcker has now returned to his duties, and the Council report 
with gratification that the Government of India have cordially ac- 
knowledged the character and value of his work during his mission 
in that country. During Dr. Voelcker's absence his duties as Con- 
sulting Chemist were very ably and efficiently discharged by his 
brother, Mr. E. W. Voelcker, upon whom the Council have conferred 
the Life Membership of the Society in recognition of their appre- 
ciation of his services. 
20. The number of samples analysed in the laboratory on behalf 
of Members from December to the end of April has been 727. 
The subject of the better regulation of the Sale of Fertilisers and 
Feeding Stuffs, which has been brought before Parliament, is one 
in which the Society is greatly interested, and it is sincerely to be 
hoped that such measures will be adopted as will give practical 
effect to the recommendations which this Society's Chemical Com- 
mittee have for so long been endeavouring to impress upon the 
Members, but which have heretofore lacked any legal force or 
support. 
21. Feeding experiments both on Sheep and on Bullocks have 
been carried out at Woburn during the winter. Those with Bullocks 
were in repetition of an experiment of a former year, upon the com- 
parative values of decorticated and undecorticated cotton cake. The 
Field experiments are being continued as heretofore. 
The Norfolk Chamber of Agriculture, the Royal Manchester, 
Liverpool, and North Lancashire Agricultural Society, and the 
Essex Agricultural Society have, as in former years, carried out 
the system of local experiments inaugurated in 1886. 
22. It appears from the Consulting Botanist's report that tlie 
quality of the grass seeds continues this year to be satisfactory, 
but that the clovers have been less pure than in previous years, 
and have contained a larger proportion of the seeds of dodder. 
Investigations have been made into fungoid diseases affecting the 
larch and oak. The ingredients in pasture and in hay likely to 
prove injurious to stock have been investigated in a number of cases. 
Ergot was found to be frequently present, but not in quantity suffi- 
cient to be injurious. 
23. The Council have, at the request of the Board of Agriculture, 
undertaken to organise and carry out a series of experiments in 
different districts of England and Wales, for the purpose of testing 
the efficacy of sulphate of copper as a preventive of the special 
fungus which attacks the potato plant. It is proposed that the 
selected potato-plots shall be dressed with sulphate of copper upon 
a uniforui plan, by a person appointed by the Society ; that the 
crops shall in the course of their growth be inspected by the Con- 
