XXXIV 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 
penden, thanks to the courtesy of Dr. Gilbert and the generosity of 
ISir John, the meeting proved to he one of the most instructive and 
enjoyable field gatherings which have taken place for some time. 
The members were first taken into the laboratory, which was 
built by public subscription and presented to Sir John Lawes, and 
here Dr. Gilbert made some very interesting remarks, taking as his 
text “ Nitrogen in relation to Plant-life.” It would be just 47 
years on the morrow, Dr. Gilbert informed his audience at the 
outset, since he and Sir John first commenced working together, 
and therefore his subsequent observations were enhanced by the 
knowledge that they were the outcome of a ripe experience. Dr. 
Gilbert possesses the happy knack of imparting a great deal of 
information in a very short space of time, and when he concluded 
his lecture—for such it was—which occupied but a few minutes, 
the amount of ground he had covered in the field of scientific 
research was astonishing. In 1857 experiments were commenced 
to determine whether plants assimilate free or uncombined nitro¬ 
gen, and also various collateral points. Plants of the graminaceous, 
the leguminous, and other families were operated upon, and the 
conclusion arrived at was that our agricultural plants do not them¬ 
selves directly assimilate the free nitrogen of the air by their leaves. 
As to whether the free nitrogen of the atmosphere is brought 
into combination within the soil under the influence of micro¬ 
organisms, or other low forms, thus serving as a source of nitrogen 
to plants of a higher order, the results obtained seemed to indicate 
that there had been a gain of nitrogen beyond that supplied in the 
combined form in the soil and in the seed sown. 
The members, having taken a hurried glance round the labora¬ 
tory, with its 40,000 samples of experimentally-grown vegetable 
produce, animal products, ashes, and soils, and its diagrams, were 
conducted round the experimental grounds by Dr. Gilbert, who halted 
at each plot and elaborated upon the remarks previously delivered 
in the laboratory. In the course of their wanderings the party 
passed unter den Linden in front of Sir John’s residence, Dr. Gilbert 
assuring his audience that the magnificent limes surpassed those 
which have given a name to the principal street in Berlin. Passing 
on, the members came to the Park, where for the past 34 years 
experiments have been made with different manures on permanent 
meadow-land. When the experiments commenced, the character of 
the herbage appeared uniform all over the plots, but the constant 
application of the same description of manure to the same plot year 
after year has had a wonderful effect upon the appearance of the 
plots and upon their botanical composition. The general result 
appeared to be that the more luxuriant the crop the more limited 
the variety of the herbage. 
Dr. Gilbert next explained the experiments which were being 
made with leguminous plants, root crops, and potatoes, and volun¬ 
teered the information, for the benefit of the ladies present, that 
the Irishman’s favourite vegetable was best cooked in its • ‘ jacket,” 
as it thereby retained its valuable properties. 
