Lawes, Sir John Bennet, 1st Baronet

Lawes, Sir John Bennet, 1st Baronet

▪ English agronomist
born Dec. 28, 1814, Rothamsted, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, Eng.
died Aug. 31, 1900, Rothamsted

      English agronomist who founded the artificial fertilizer industry and Rothamsted Experimental Station, the oldest agricultural research station in the world.

      Lawes inherited his father's estate, Rothamsted, in 1822. In 1842, after long experimentation with the effects of manures on potted plants and field crops on his estate, he patented a process for treating phosphate rock with sulfuric acid to produce superphosphate. That year he opened the first fertilizer factory, thus initiating the artificial fertilizer industry. The following year, the chemist J.H. (later Sir Henry) Gilbert joined him, and they began a collaboration lasting more than a half century; Lawes considered 1843 the year of the station's foundation. Together, the pair studied the effects of different fertilizers on crops. They also researched animal nutrition, including the value of different fodders and the sources of animal fat.

      In 1867 the Royal Society awarded Lawes and Gilbert jointly a Royal Medal. In 1882 Lawes was created a baronet. Seven years later he ensured the continuation of the Rothamsted experiments by setting up the Lawes Agricultural trust.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Bennet Lawes — Sir John Lawes redirects here. Distinguish from Sir John Lawes (School). Sir John Bennet Lawes, 1st Baronet FRS (December 28, 1814 ndash;August 31, 1900) was an English entrepreneur and agricultural scientist. He founded an experimental farm at… …   Wikipedia

  • Gilbert, Sir Henry — ▪ British chemist born Aug. 1, 1817, Hull, Yorkshire, Eng. died Dec. 23, 1901, Harpenden, Hertfordshire       English chemist whose most important contribution was his study of nitrogen fertilizers and their effects on crops.       In 1843… …   Universalium

  • Lawes Baronets — The Lawes Baronetcy, of Rothamsted in the County of Hertford, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 19 May 1882 for the entrepreneur and agricultural scientist John Bennet Lawes.Lawes Baronets, of Rothamsted… …   Wikipedia

  • Liebig, Justus, Freiherr von — ▪ German chemist Introduction born May 12, 1803, Darmstadt, Hesse Darmstadt [Germany] died April 18, 1873, Munich, Bavaria  German chemist who made significant contributions to the analysis of organic compounds, the organization of laboratory… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”