364 
Supplement to the "Tropical A.griciilfurist." Nov. 1, 1900, 
that has been removed, by means of a sharp 
chisel, without injuring the baik. Do not be 
afraid of injuring your good tree by removal of 
pieces of bark ; the wound will heal in twelve 
months' time, and instead of hurting, the proce.^s 
may make the tree more fruitful. 
Apropos cf this subject of making the mango 
fruitful, the writer of the paper from which 
■we are making these notes, (Mr. Horace Knight) 
is led to conclude from his experience that 
root pruning rather than branch pruning is to 
be preferred. The object is obtained by checking 
the flow of sap underground, instead of mutilating 
the trunk and limbs. Of course root pruning 
would not apply to trees which have become 
barren through neglected cultivation, impoverished 
soil, or through any foreign agencies affecting 
the tree above ground. 
The object of grafting a number of good 
(different) varieties on one stock, is to get a 
good " blend " by cross-fertilization, as the flower 
spikes of the different varieties being in close 
proximity to each other, the chances of getting 
a new type of fruit, combining the good qualities 
of the different varieties, are much more favorable 
than if the individual varieties grew at some 
distance apart as separate trees. When the 
seedling from the tree bearing the grafts fruited, 
this new fra.t tree will be available for future 
grafting or bu Ming. 
We now possess fibreless fruits, which, 
while extremely handsome are almost tasteless, 
while others are full flavoured but uninviting 
while some have size though not flavour in their 
favour. Here is where skill and judgment are 
required, viz., to unite alFtlie described qualities 
in one fruit. 
SIR JOHN LAWES— HIS LIFE AND WORK.* 
By the death of Sir John Lawea on the last day 
of July, 1900, Agriculture loses one of the greatest 
benefactors it has ever had. 
Born in December 28th, 1814, in the old Manor- 
house at Rothamsted, Herts, where nearly 86 
years later he died, the deceased baronet was the 
son of the late Mr. John Bennet Lawes, whom he 
succeeded in the paternal estates in 1822, at the 
early age of eight. After leaving Eton he 
proceeded to Oxford, and passed some time at 
Brasenose College. His inclinations, however, 
were not much in the direction of classical study, 
and he shortly found himself in more congenial 
surroundings in the chemicnl laboratory of Dr. 
Anthony Todd Thompson, at University College, 
London. On entering into possession of his 
hereditary property at Rothamsted in 1834, he at 
once began experiments upon plants growing in 
pots, the investigations being subsequently ex- 
tended to the field. One of the most striking 
results observed in these early days was the 
excellent effect produced upon the turnip crop by 
dressing it with mineral phosphates that hnd been 
treated with sulphuric acid. At once grasping the 
importance of this discovery, Mr. Liwes, as he 
*Abridged from a paper by Dr. Fream in the 
B.A.S.E. Journal.— Eu. A,M, 
was then, obtained in 1842 a patent for the 
manufacture of superpho>phate, and thus luid the 
foundation of a great industry. 
In the following year was taken the decisive 
step , of establishing at Rothamsted a properly 
equipped agricultural experimental station. 
Simultaneously, Mr. Lawes secured the co-opera- 
tion of a young chemist. Dr. (now Sir) J. Henry 
Gilbert, and the association which was thus 
commenced fifty-seven years ago has been attended 
by the happiest results, ns the numerous scientific 
memoirs that have issued year after year from 
Rothamsted amply tesiifj'. 
Two main lines of inquiry have been followed, 
the one relating to plants, the other to animals. 
In the former case the method of procedure has 
been to grow some of the most important crops 
of rotation, each separately, year after year, for 
many years in succession on the same land, 
without manure, with furmyard nuinure, and with 
a great variety of chemical manures; the same 
description of manure being, as a rule, applied 
year after year on thp same plot. Experiments 
on an actual course of rotation, without manure, 
and vvith different manures, have also been made. 
Wheat, barley, oats, beans, clover and other legu- 
minous plants, turnips, sugar beet, mangels, 
potatoes, and grass crops have thus been experi- 
mented upon. lucideutally there have been 
extensive sampling and analysing of s-)ils, in- 
vestigations into rainfiill and the composition of 
drainage waters, inquiries into the amount of 
water transpired by plants, and experiments on 
the assimilation of free nitrogen. Lest any 
misunderstanding should arise as to the attitude 
taken up concerning the last-named subject, it 
may be useful to quote the following fron. the 
Memoranda of the Rothamsted Experiments. 1900 
(p 7):— Experiments were commenced in 1857, and 
conducted for several years in succession, to deter- 
mine whether plants assimilate free on uncom- 
bined nitrogen, and also various collateral points. 
Plants of the gramineous, the leguminous, and of 
other families, were operated upon. The late 
Dr. Pugh took a prominent part in this inquirj-. 
The conclusion arrived at was that our agricul- 
tural plants do not themselves directly assimilate 
the free nitrogen of the air by their leaves. 
In recent years, however, the question has 
assumed quite a new aspect. It now is--whetlier 
the free nitrogen of the atmosphere is brought 
into combination under the influence of micro- 
organisms, or other low forms, either within the 
soil, or in symbiosis with a higher plant, thus 
serving indirectly as a source of nitrogen to 
pixnts of a higher order. Considering that the 
results of Hellriegel and Wilfarth on this point 
were, if confirmed, of great significance and impor- 
tance, it was decided to make experiments at 
Rothamsted on somewhat similar lines. Accord- 
ingly, a preliminary series was undertaken in 
1888; more extended series were conducted in 
1889 and in 1890; and the investigation was 
continued up to the commencement of the year 
1895. Further experiments relating to certain 
aspects of the subject were commenced in 1898, 
and are still in progress. The results have shown 
that, when a soil-growiug leguminous plant is 
