Eminent Lecturers.—No. 3. Professor R. W. Emfrson MacIvor, F.I.C., F.C.S.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1887, 9 August 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

Eminent Lecturers.— No. 3. Professor R. W. Emfrson Maclvor, F.1.C., F.C.S.

Amongst the eminent leoturers who have afforded to Australian audiences the benefit of their talent, knowledge, and experience may very fairly be classed Mr. R. W. B. Maolvor, F.1.C., F. 0.5., who, although one of comparatively recent date amongst ua, and one who deals specially with only a particular branch of applied soience, has unquestionably made his mark, and made it too, with that class of the community which may be said to constitute one of the most important, if, indeed, not the most important elements of our national prosperity. We allude, of course, to the farming interest. As the Marquis of Normanby, our retiring Governor, and a gentleman of far-seeing intelligence, and of more than ordinary skill and judgment in the science of political eoonomy, very wisely Baid in few, but pregnant words, the other day at the We3t Bourke Agricultural Show : " Agriculture ia, in every country, the backbono of the country ; " and again, a little later, " but in one way or the other, the backbone of the country ia her soil," sentiments that were, it need hardly be said, cheered to the echo. But, whilst this much may, nay, must, be conceded, it is not the less a fact that in order to utilise the soil to the extent of its value, in order to bring it to its full fruition, in order, in brief, to render it the important factor in our national prosperity which nature intended it to be, it is necessary that our farmers should possess a comprehensive knowledge of the nature and composition of the crude material they have to operate upon, the best and most profitable method of treating it, the pabulum, so to speak, it requires to keep up its vigor, and the order and rotation of crops, which, while giving the bast possible returns, shall not, at the same time, enfeeble its producing powers, or injure ita vitality. To this question, or rather to all these questions, has Mr. Maclvor directed the attention of a trained mind, a capacious intellect, and a well-stored brain. He is a Yorkshireman by birth, and is at present 32 years of age, 1 but daring that comparatively short period of life he has studied and learned much, and what ia more to the purpose has put that much to the most advantage. Whilst yet a boy, or at the most, a youth, he studied chemistry, physios, and mathematics in Edinburgh and Glasgow, under some of the ablest professors of these sciences in Great Britain, and at the early age of 21 was appointed senior demonstrator of Chemistry and laboratory director under Professor Dittmar, at the Andersonian University, which position (one, by the way, of no mean grade in the scientific world) he held with credit to himself and benefit to those with whom he was brought into contact, until February, 1876, when he was chosen by Mr. (now the Hon. Sir) W. J. Clarke to come out to the Australian Colonies, and as a practical and theoretical agricultural chemist, to impart to the farmers of Australia by meana of lectures, the benefit of the knowledge he had acquired, and the advice and information connected with the subjects with which they were most immediately concerned, which had been the outcome of his studies and experience. Mr. Maclvor has, since hia arrival in tho colonies, done good service to the agricultural interests of Australia by writing freely in various newspapers and magazines, metropolitan and provincial, on agriculture, chemistry, and science generally, and his articles have not only been accepted as standard exponents of the subjects with which he dealt, by scientists and literary men, but have also been read with avidity by the farmers of all the colonies, very many of whom have, no doubt, put his suggestions to practioal proof, and benefitted largely thereby. In March, 1878, Mr. Maclvor was entertained at a banquet by the farmers of the Ballarat shire, and presented with a handsome testimonial in recognition of the value of his services. In October, 1879, he published a work, " The Chemistry of Agriculture," which was received with such favor that it was republished by the Government of Queensland for gratuitous distribution amongst the farmers of that colony. He is also the author of numerous original papers on pure and applied chemistry, whioh have been read before some of the learned societies at home and in Germany. But hismagnum opus, his great work in Australia, the one which has proved, and is proving, of incalculable service to the farming interest, is unquestionably the handbook known as " Maolvor's Farmers' Annual," first published in 1883, and containing a vast fund . of practical information of the very highest class on all subjects connected with crops, farm pests, sheep, soil, dairy, and domestic veterinary practice. The circulation of the work has been immense, and in order to add to its value, the present (1884) edition contains as an addendum an abstract written in popular language, of the Land, Fencing, Branding, and other Acts useful to settlers and cattle breeders. Chiefly, however, is Mr. Maclvor known in the up-country parts of the colonies as a lecturer on agricultural chemistry and practice, and cognate subjects, and the announcement of his appearance on the platform at any place has invariably been the signal for the " roll-up" of the farmers of the district, who have listened to his remarks with the utmost attention, and, doubtless, greatly benefitted therefrom. The amount of good done may be faintly estimated from the fact that ._ he has, throughout the length and breadth of the land .delivered something like 900 lectures, which, beside his constant literary work and his voluminous correspon- . dence is.no mean task for one m.an tOj pave performed. As a lecturer, Mr. Mactvor is

clear, terse (almost epigrainmatical), and precise. His language, although expressive of the finest shades of meaning, is never inflated norpedantio, bat is such, as may be easily understood,' even by the most unlearned among his audience. He has a good presence, a full, yet penetrating, voice, and ft tolling manner of delivery. Besides having the benefit of a thorough knowledge of his subjeot, he never ventures to deliver a, lecture without having made himself master of it, even to the smallest details, and having so arranged it in his mind that it flows forth in natural sequence, without the too-common blemishes of over*diffusenesß or -repetition. Mr. Maclvor is a member of the Central Board of Health, Melbourne, fellow of the Institute of 'Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland, member of the Physical and Mineralogio&l Societies of England, fellow of the Ohemioal Societies of London and Berlin, and of the Royal Geographical and Linnjean Societies of London. Mr. Maclvor has recently been offered, and has accepted, the position of lecturer on agriculture at the Teohnioal College, Sydney, a portion of his duties being to lecture throughout the oolony. Victoria's loss is New South Wales' gain.