THE NEW DIRECTOR AT LINCOLN COLLEGE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11013, 10 July 1901, Page 3

THE NEW DIRECTOR AT LINCOLN COLLEGE.

HIS QUALIFICATIONS AND CAREER. At the meeting raf the Canterbury Agricultural College .Board yesterday, the Chairman, the Hon. 15. C. J- Stevens, re-port-id the results of has interview "with Prolessor Lowrie, of the Rosewonthy Agricultural Ccflege, Adelaide, who was an applicant for th-o no,srto/>n of Director at the Canterbury \gricultural College. He stated that, by appointment, ha had met Professor Lowrie in M?lbni"iio. and had discussed with him ihe whole subject of the ColCege, ;iud had placed before him last year's prospectus, and the last audited accounts, to show t!:« financial position of the College. Professor Lov/rie was unable to then, give, a definite acceptance of tfoo position un<til ho had hud a further interview with the Miiii-s-It for Agriculture in South Australia, which the latter d'ssired. To save time, however, he (•£!:« Uhairman) hud gone with Professor Lowrie to a wsIU-known firm of solicitors, and had an agi'eement drawn up. After Professor Lowrie had returned to Adela.ide, he (the Chairman) had received a telegram from him accepting the position, subject to certain modifications in the agreement, and on the uiiden<UMi<diiig tih.at he was allowed to give 'his present employers three months' notice, so as to give them time 'to appoint a .successor. He (the Chairman) felt he was just.fiod in ngieeing to that course. He had forwsirded the agreement to Professor Lowrie for his signature, and expected to have received the document before he (the Chairman) left Sydney on. lus return to NewZealand. As it did not arrive in time, he had given instructions for it to bs forwarded, and now expected to receive it on Fridsiy or Saturday. He looked upon the matter as settled, as he anticipated that the modifications would not be material.

The Chairman «nea<l the provisional agreement, which provides for a. three years , engagement at £600 per anraum. It was resoCved that members of the Board should m«efc the Oh airman on Saturday, <:nd, should they be satisfied with. th«>. modi, fixations desired by Professor Lowrie, that the Chairman should affix tibe seal of the Board to the •document.

Professor William. Lowrie is a native of Roxburgh shire, Scotland, and was brought up cm one of tho largest f;tf»s in. that county, namely, Glarilaiw, by Sft. Boswell's. He is 43 years of age, and a widower without family. In 1883 he gratJuated M.A., and in 1686 JB.vSc. of Edinburgh University. During hie University course ho gamed the fetI owing honours: —Second class University honours in Logic and Metaphysics, practical chemistry and chemistry ; first class honours in botany, practical botany, and vegetable physiology, the institutes of medicine (animal physiology), geology, and mineralogy; first cln,:?s honours and prizes in mathematics, natural philosophy, poCitical economy, and the institutes and history of education ; and first class honours and University medals in agriculture, natural history (senior), and practical physiology. He also won tlie Steven scholarship in a.gricuiturc of the value of £75 in 1885, and, in accordance with the regulations thereof, bad to visit the Rovnil Shows in Ireland, Scotland, and England, and also the Bath and West of England Society Shows, ond report thereon to the University. In 1885 :b& passed the examination of the High kind and Agricultural Society of Scotland, and' was a diploma life member of the Society. From the University- h) 1886 he went to the Gordon's College, Aberdeen—an important technical College—where lie lield the position of tecturer in natural science until the end of 1887, wlien he left to take up his present work in South Australia, as head of the. Department of Agriculture, and principal of >the Agricultural College at Roseworthy. When Professor lrfjwrie took charge of tliis College there were owly eleven students in residence, end the institution ihad not thS confidence of the farmers of the Stats, but by <le|rrees this attitude was modified,'and the Oolli.'ge was now full (46 students), and had been full for some years, and was generally recognised as having justified its existence by those engaged in rural industry and by the community as a whole. As an evidence of Professor Lowrie , 8 ability as a farmer, it may be mentioned that the average returns of wheat on the College farm was: over three thne3 the average of the State, though the farm was situated on average mallei , land or" capacity considerably below the main wheatgrowi-nz areas of the State, and yields were limited t>y the average rainfall of 17in per annum. Last year, with a total rainfall of 19.8 in for the year, the average yield of wheat on the "College farm (172 acres reaped) was 26 bushels 4£f.b per acre, and of oats (86 acres reaped) 51 bushels per acre, while of wheafcen hay the yield over 250 acres was estimated at between 2£ to 2| tons per acre. These figures were not exceeded by muah even i-n the most favoured districts of the State. Professor Lowrie has acted as judge of English breeds o£ sheep at the R-oyal Show at Melbourne, and ait different times at the Royal Show at Adelaide, where the practice of appointing single judges prevails, and as a judge of she«p and cattle frequently at district shows. The testimonials, etc., forwarded by Professor Lowrie show the good work he had done in extending ths m&uettce of the Roseworthy CoSlege, and the improvement of the farm practice of the State.