Harry Vine — Soil Scientist

THE EDITOR: Thank you to colleagues and friends for remarks on the passing of Dr Harry  Vine, my father. Actually he was well known in agricultural science in Trinidad and Tobago and in Nigeria. Harry Vine came to Trinidad (Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture, ICTA) in approximately 1938 with a PhD in Chemistry. In Trinidad he studied soil science under Professor Hardy. In 1940 he was sent under the war effort to Nigeria, initially to look for alternatives to the malaria medicine quinine, of which supplies from South-East Asia had been cut off.

He moved on to investigating, identifying, and mapping soils of Nigeria. A paper quoted frequently up to today was published in 1953, in which he analysed results of a long-term (1922-1951) experiment: “Experiments on the  maintenance of soil fertility at Ibadan, Nigeria.” There followed what he regarded as his greatest piece of work — leading the soil survey of the cocoa belt of Western Nigeria. The idea was, he said, that every agricultural officer in the region would constantly refer to the survey report for pertinent information. Harry Vine then worked as a Reader in Soil Science at ICTA in Trinidad, 1956-1961; and as a Lecturerrising to Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, 1961-1965. He supervised the first PhD in Agriculture of the University of Ibadan.

The rest of his career until retirement was at the Department of Geography, University of Leicester, UK. Harry Vine was an example of thoroughness in science — some might say he was over-cautious in coming to conclusions. He admitted to an unusual knack for analysing land forms in the field. He was scientifically sharp right up to the last moment, April 11, 2004. Harry Vine, 87, no doubt influenced lots of people — colleagues, students, agricultural scientists, family and friends, in several parts of the world. Harry Vine had a strong social conscience. Suffice it to say that he ensured the African National Congress song, “Nkosi sikelele Africa,” was played at his wife’s (my mother’s) memorial ceremony to recognize her joy, and his, at the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. The song was played at Harry Vine’s memorial ceremony, too, on April 2004 19.

DR PETER VINE
School of Continuing Studies
UWI St Augustine