William Lawrence Balls facts for kids

William Lawrence Balls (born September 3, 1882, died July 18, 1960) was a smart British scientist. He was a botanist, which means he studied plants. He became very famous for his work with cotton plants and how to use them to make fabric. He was even chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a big honor for scientists.

Life and Work

Early Life and Studies

William Lawrence Balls was born in Norfolk, England. He was the only son of William and Emma Balls. He went to Norwich School and then studied at St John's College, Cambridge.

After finishing university, he got a new job in November 1904. He became the 'Cryptogamic Botanist' for the Khedivial Agricultural Society of Egypt in Cairo. A cryptogamic botanist studies plants that reproduce without flowers or seeds, like ferns or mosses.

Cotton Research in Egypt

In 1905, William Balls started studying cotton plants in Egypt. He began with a small piece of land, about 1 acre (0.4 hectares). He carefully watched nine different cotton crops grow. He studied their genetics (how traits are passed down), their physiology (how they work), and how their fibers could be used to make fabric.

During this time, he wrote 45 scientific papers. He also wrote a book called The Cotton Plant in Egypt. This book shared all his important findings about cotton genetics and physiology. It became a very important book for botanists. In 1908, he was made a Fellow of St John's College.

Returning to England

In 1914, William Balls moved back to England. He lived in Cambridgeshire and wrote two more books: The development and properties of raw cotton (1915) and Egypt and the Egyptians (1915).

He was asked to start a special research department. This department was for the Fine Cotton Spinners' and Doublers' Association. He began in two rooms in Manchester. Three years later, he moved to a big house in Bollington, Cheshire. For the next ten years, he continued to study the quality of cotton fibers. He learned a lot about how to spin cotton and did research on new spinning methods.

During this time, he became the chairman of an important committee. This committee later became the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. He also worked with the Shirley Institute, which was a research group for the British cotton industry. In 1916, he joined the Textiles Institute in Manchester. He also published another book, Handbook of cotton spinning tests (1920). In May 1923, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

At the end of 1925, William Balls left his job with the cotton spinners. He went back to Cambridge and wrote a book called Studies of quality in cotton (1928). His reports on cotton quality, written between 1912 and 1928, were used by scientists and textile experts for over seventy years.

Back to Egypt

Soon after, William Balls was asked to return to Egypt. He became the head of all cotton research there and stayed for the rest of his working life. He didn't do as much personal research, but he was great at organizing. He helped coordinate all the work on cotton plants, farming methods, and insect control.

He spent more than 25 years studying how water moved across a 70-acre (28-hectare) farm. He used this information to write his book The yields of a crop (1953) after he retired. He also created a system for supplying pure cotton seeds. He even set up a small plant to spin tiny cotton samples.

William Balls made a very important discovery. He found that by carefully choosing cotton plants, farmers could grow cotton with stronger yarn. This was a huge step forward in cotton breeding. In 1931, he gave a special lecture called the 'Mather Lecture' about Egyptian cotton. He was also honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1934.

During World War II, William Balls helped the military. He became the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East. He spent a lot of time working on inventing a mine detector.

Awards and Honors

William Balls received many honors for his important work.

• In 1943, he was given an Honorary Fellowship by the Textile Institute.
• In 1944, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG).
• In 1953, he received an honorary Doctorate degree.

Later Years and Passing

William Balls retired in 1947 and moved back to Cambridgeshire. There, he wrote his last book, The yield of a crop (1953). In this book, he explained that high water levels in the ground were causing Egyptian cotton crops to decline. In 1952, he received another honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) degree from the University of Manchester.

William Lawrence Balls passed away on July 18, 1960, at the age of 77.

Books by William Lawrence Balls

William Lawrence Balls wrote several important books during his career, sharing his knowledge about cotton. These included:

• The Cotton Plant in Egypt
• The development and properties of raw cotton
• Egypt and the Egyptians
• Handbook of cotton spinning tests
• Studies of quality in cotton
• The yields of a crop