Annual Report of the Consutting Chemist. 
215 
it has been noticed equally on arenaceous, argillaceous, and cal- 
careous soils. But its appearance has always been associated with 
long-continued rains. The appearance of the disease in England 
during the past year (1871) was no doubt due to the very damp 
early summer. There is no hope of curing the malady when it 
appears, but there can be no doubt that thorough drainage would 
either completely prevent it, or greatly modify its intensity when 
it does appear. 
X. — Annual Report of the Consulting Chemist for 1871. 
In my last Annual Report I showed that the analytical work for 
Members of the Society in 1870 had increased in an unprecedented 
degree, as many as 580 analyses having been referred to me in 
that year, or 115 more than I had sent out in 1869. 
In consequence of this increased work I found it necessai y to 
engage the services of an additional assistant. Notwithstanding 
his aid in despatching with promptitude analyses and reports to 
our members, the samples of manures, soils, oilcakes, &c., which 
were sent to the Laboratory becanie so numerous in the spring 
months of 1871 that at times I was quite overwhelmed with 
analytical work, and was obliged to make a further addition to 
my staff of chemical assistants. 
In order to give undivided attention to the yearly increasing 
demand upon my services, and to be able personally to superin- 
tend the work of my assistants, I have found it necessary to decline 
all applications for instruction in analytical chemistry, and to 
refuse the admissson into my Laboratory of pupils or voluntary 
assistants ; and I take this opportunity of mentioning that I am 
assisted in the Laboratory work only by a staff of well-trained, 
paid assistants, several of whom have been in my service for 
many years. 
During the period from December 1870 to December 1871, as 
many as 730 analyses have been refeired to me by Members of 
the Society, being the unprecedented increase of 150 analyses 
over the number sent out in 1870. 
It will be satisfactory to the Council, and specially gratifying 
to the Chemical Commitee, to recognize in these figures a direct 
proof that the publication of the periodical Reports of the 
Chemical Commitee has borne good fruit. A comparison of 
the subjoined returns for the last five years shows that the 
analytical work has been more than doubled in five years, 
whereas previous to 18G8 it remained pretty stationary, averaging 
about 3ri0 analyses yearly. 
