Papers of William Lawrence Balls

Botanist, cotton technologist. Balls came to St John's College in 1900 to study for the Natural Sciences Tripos, graduating BA in 1903. From 1904 to 1910, he worked in Egypt as a designer for the Cotton Research Board and the Spinning Test Mill at Giza. He also served as Botanist to the Khedival Agricultural Society. Balls twice worked as Botanist at the Department of Agriculture in Egypt (1911-13, 1927-33), and from 1915 to 1926 headed the Experimental Department of the Fine Cotton Spinners' Association in Bollington, Cheshire. His final post was as Director of the Botanical Section at the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture (1933-37). Balls held a Fellowship at St John's from 1909 to 1913, and was elected to an Honorary Fellowship in 1955. He was made CBE in 1924.

Eight volumes of printed material and unbound papers on cotton technology.

Donated to the library by Mrs Florence E. Balls in 1961 (letter of donation in box 1).

Please cite as St John's College Library, Papers of William Lawrence Balls