Report of Society's Meetings. 327 
sorry, as I wanted to go more fully into the question of the experi- 
mental laboratory, now that Mr. Francis is again in the colony. 
In further elucidation of my proposal I now beg to hand you the 
Sixth Annual Report of the proceedings of the Aberdeenshire Agricul- 
tural Association, and I particularly call the attention of the Society 
to the remarks made by M. L. Grandeau, of the University 
of Nancy, on the success of the Aberdeenshire Association, especially 
where he says, " Happy country where the private initiative permits of 
constituting, without any personal aim, and for the general interest, a 
scientific association on so large a basis," at page 6. It is in the same 
line of argument that I have endeavoured to lead our Society up to the 
same way of dealing in a practical way with kindred subjects in British 
Guiana, and I will thank you to lay this report on the table for the use 
and information of members. 
You are aware that Mr. Jamieson has a small retainer for carrying out 
the objects for which the Aberdeenshire Association was started, and I 
am of opinion that Mr. Francis should be dealt with in a similar way. 
My idea is, after the preliminary expenses of procuring the 
necessary building and appliances, that parties wishing to have soils 
tested should pay for the quantitative analyses of such soils according 
to the scale laid down by the Government, and that the investigations 
made in carrying out the after-experiments in the laboratory should be 
pro bono publico ; and it will be for Mr. Francis to say what additional 
fee he would claim from the Society for this additional work. 
These are the points which I would raise if I could have been present. 
In fact I think that the reports in question, which I have handed in 
from time to time, might be taken as the groundwork on which our 
Society should build up a similar undertaking. 
I might also call attention to page 33, where Mr. Jamieson in sum- 
ming up throws out some grand hints as to the future. Are we of 
British Guiana behind the farmers of Aberdeenshire 1 I say we have 
no right to own up to such an impeachment. 
The following are the passages in the report to the Com- 
mittee of the Aberdeenshire Agricultural Association by 
Mr. Thomas Jamieson, F.I.C., referred to by Mr. Russell : — 
Alluding to the Aberdeenshire experiments, M. Grandeau records : — 
" I cannot, as I should wish, present even an incomplete analysis of the 
SS I 
