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The Agricultural Research Association, the Development Fund, and The The Agricultural Research Association, the Development Fund, and the Origins of the Rowett Research Institute By DAVID SMITH Abstract The Aberdeen Agricultural Association, later renamed the Agricultural Research Association, was estab- lished in I875. Relying upon donations from landowners, the Association set up an experimental station and laboratory, and for a few years ran an experimental farm. From the beginning, the organization challenged the views of agricultural scientists in England. Thomas Jamieson, the Association's chemist, demonstrated that insoluble phosphate was a more useful fertiliser than had been supposed, and later claimed to have shown that green plants could fix atmospheric nitrogen. This lead to a bruising conflict with the director of Rothamsted Experimental Station. In the I9IOS the Association's work ceased after it failed to secure a grant from the newly-formed Development Commission.In contrast, ajoint committee of the North of Scotland College of Agriculture and Aberdeen University obtained Development Commission funds for an animal nutrition laboratory, and in I914 appointed John Boyd On:, a Glasgow medical graduate, as research worker. Orr proved much more effective than Jamieson, both in building and using alliances with members of the agricultural science establishmentin England, and in obtaining private funds, leading to the officialopening of the 1KowettResearch Institute, of which Orr was designated director, in 1922. HE Development Fund, established Scotland College of Agriculture, lead to under the Development and Road the commencement of a modest pro- T Improvement Act, 19o9, is one of gramme of research before the war, and to the measures associated with David Lloyd the formation of the Rowett Research George's 'People's Budget'. The act sought Institute in the early inter-war period. to encourage economic development by Directed by John Boyd Orr, by the I93OS various means, including the support of the Rowett had become world-famous for agricultural education and research, and research in both animal and human may be regarded as part of the Edwardian nutrition. movement to promote 'public science' and We will see that the final stages of the enhance 'national efficiency'. I The fund existence of the ARA were characterized was disbursed by the Treasury on the by acrimonious controversy between the recommendations of eight commissioners agricultural research establishment and the and during 191o two applications for grants AR.A's idiosyncratic director, Thomas were received from Aberdeen: one, from Jamieson, over the latter's claims to have the Agricultural Research Association shown that green plants can Rx atmospheric (ARA), was unsuccessful, contributing to nitrogen. Nevertheless, the continuous the final demise of this organization; the activity of the ARA and its predecessor other, from the Aberdeen and North of organization over the period I875-I913 ' B K Murray, The People's Budget rgog/ro: Lloyd George and Liberal was, in itself, something of an achievement Politics, I98O; IK Olby, 'Social imperialism and state support for in Scotland. Russell's History of Agricultural agricultural research in Edwardian Britain', Annals of Sdence, 48, I991, pp 5o9-26; F M Turner, 'Public science in Britain, Science gives the impression that, while I88O-I918', ISIS, 7I, I98O, pp 589-6o8; G iK Searle, The Questfor National Efficiency: A Study of British Politits and Political Thought, England saw the development of research 1899-19x4, 1971. at Wye College, Cambridge University, Ag Hist Rev, 46, I, pp 47-63 47 ii 'i~ : ill 48 THE AGRICULTURAL HISTORY REVIEW Long Ashton, Cockle Park and elsewhere owners, farmers and factors, two manufac- during this period, the main role of turers of manures and a seedsman, with the Scotland was to produce researchers rather Marquis of Huntly as president. The for- than research. Scotsmen, such as William mation of the Association was largely the Somerville, T H Middleton, D A Gilchrist initiative of James W Barclay, MP for and F H A Marshall, pursued their careers Forfarshire since 1872.5 Barclay was initially at the new institutions south of the border. a Liberal and later a Unionist. Local self- In Scotland, even the Highland and made chemist Thomas Jamieson, lecturer Agricultural Society failed to sustain the in chemistry at the Mechanics Institution experimental stations run by its chemist in Aberdeen, was employed to direct the beyond the period 1877-89 .2 Paul Brassely Association's experiments. In about 1878 regards I89o as a turning point in the Jamieson became city analyst for Aberdeen 6 fortunes of agricultural research in Britain and from 1879 vigorously applied himself prior to the First World War, yet not one to the development of agricultural edu- of the institutional developments that he cation at Aberdeen University as Fordyce mentions took place in Scotland) Lecturer in agricultural science/ This paper is not intended to be a The income of the Association was scientific assessment of the research done £350-£380 per annum, provided mostly by the Agricultural Research Association by landowners. In 188o, for example, £36o and the Rowett Research Institute. It rather was raised from 40 subscribers, but seven forms a local case study of the transform- of them, including the inhabitants of ation in the organization of agricultural Aboyne Castle, Cluny Castle, Gordon science during the early twentieth century, Castle, and Haddo House gave a total of which accompanied the advent of large- £250. One large donation was given by scale public funding. The story brings into W Cunliffe Brooks, Conservative MP for focus the challenges faced by those in Cheshire East, who owned property in I Scotland who sought to extract a share of Aboyne. About one-fifth of the remaining centrally-administered research funds, as subscribers were manure manufacturers and well as the special circumstances which other agricultural suppliers, s ' i influenced developments in Aberdeen. Four field stations were established on land belonging to the Association's sup- porters, for research on the use of phos- I phates for growing turnips. Such a project The initial aim of the Aberdeen was ideally suited to the needs of the Agricultural Association, established in farmers of the North-East, which had, by August 1875, was to conduct experiments this time, become famous for its fat cattle, 'principally for the purpose of guiding and in order to produce sufficient winter and informing Farmers in regard to the feed, much effort was put into achieving application of Manures'. 4 The 'Acting good turnip crops. And according to I A Committee' of twelve consisted of land- Symon the dissemination of results of experiments such as these helped farmers ~E J Russell, A History of Agricultural Science it1 Great Britain, I966, pp z83-252; J D G Davidson, 77~e Royal Highland and Agricultural 'Obituary', The Times, 2 March z9o7, p 8e; 'In memorium' in Society of Scotland. A Short History .r784-x984, Ingliston, I984, T Jamieson, Utilisation of Nitrogen h, Air by Plat,ts III, Aberdeen, pp 23-4. I9o7-8 (Aberdeen Research Association Report, I9o7-8), pp 3-5. ~P Brassley, 'Agricultural research in Britain, I85o-I914: failure, ~Aecording to Mr Tlwmas Jamiesot,, Chev Fr, FIC, Sketch of his Life success and development', Annals of Science, 52, I995, pp 465-80. and Work, Aberdeen, I899, by I899 Jamieson had held the post of 'Extract from minute of the first meeting of the subscribers, August public analyst for 2z years. z875', in Proceedit,gs of the Aberdeen Agricultural Association x875-Sz, 7j Hendrick, The Progress of Agricultural Education it, Scotland, Library of the School of Agriculture, Aberdeen [hereafter LSAA], Aberdeen, I912. xPer 63oAbe [hereafter Proceedings x875-Sz]. s 'List of subscribers for the fifth season', I88o, in Proceedings x875-82. :I h I; :4; ..... - ............... THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION 49 in Scotland to reduce fertiliser costs during now nearly over'. ~3 In his report for the the economic difficulties of the late nine- following year Jamieson triumphantly pro- teenth century. 9 claimed victory and noted that the view that At each of the field stations, 36 plots fossil phosphates should be regarded as assim- were laid out, each sufficient for 2o0 tur- ilable by plants had been endorsed by an nips, ~° and Jamieson soon concluded, from 'International Congress of Directors of experiments with the mineral coprolite, Agricultural Experimental Stations' held in finely ground, that 'soluble phosphate is paris. ~4 not superior to insoluble phosphate to the Ground insoluble phosphates were cer- extent that is supposed'. I~ It was claimed tainly more valuable as fertilisers than many that farmers had been wasting money using other scientists had supposed before 'superphosphate', manufactured by treating Jamieson's work but Russell explained insoluble phosphates with sulphuric acid. I~ Jamieson's success with ground coprolites The method for the production of super- as resulting from their application to acidic phosphate had been patented in 1842 by soils, in which conditions insoluble phos- J B Lawes, FR.S, the owner and founder phates are more readily available to crops25 of Rothamsted Experimental Station. That insoluble phosphates are only useful Lawes's wealth, and Rothamsted, owed in acidic soils is now the standard textbook much to the view that insoluble phosphates view, I6 but some degree of uncertainty were unavailable to plants. remains: one recent author who made
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