The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-04-04
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Germany.
As usual, the most numerous and i'm
Portantresearchesin in Agrieultnre, especially
those relating to agricultural chemistry, Of
which our journals bring us accounts come
from the European, and especially the
German, agricultural experiment stations.
These are, in general, chemical laborato-
ries connected with stables, fields, gardens,
or gre~nhouses, where questions Of impor-
tance in agriculture are studied. Although
the frt one was founded only twenty-five
years ago, yet 50 useful have they proved
that, up to the present date, not far from
seventy have been established, Of which
not far from half have been founded within
the past five years. They are chiefly oc-
cupied with experiments on animal and
vegetable nutrition, and the analysis Of
fertillsers Some, hogeyer, are devoted
TO other special investigations. One in
Wiesbaden, for instance, is devoted 10 re-
searches in wine culture. Another has
been lately established in the celebrated
dairying district ofLodi, in Northern Italy,
for Investigations in cheese making aud
kindred subjects.
An important function Of these stations
has been the testing Of the value Of com
inercial fertilizers by chemical analysis.
The usefulness Of this control system in
preventing frauds In these articles has sug-
gesied the application Of similar one to
the examination Of seeds Investigations
initiated by Noble, director Of the station
at Tharanadt, In saxony, have led to the
discovery Of enormous frauds practiced in
England and Germany BY the adulteatiou
Of clover, turnip, and other seeds. To
protect the farmer against these imposi.
tions several stations for the examination
Of seeds have been established In different
parts Of Germany The moral which oul
farmers have to draw from these fae,a |.
obvious,
! Kuhn, Of the station at MOekeru, Il
Saxony, has lately reported series Of in
vestigatious on the digestibility Of freshl,
cut lacern as compared with the dry hay
Two oxcE were fed daring one period viii
the green, and during another with th,
dried hay, analyses being made Of the fod
der and excrement, and the amount di
gesied determined by difference, Th'
general result was that "the digestibilit
Of the green fodder was not essential,
altered by drying
Another of the more important labors
Of the experiment stations lately reported
is a fodderiug experiment with lambs, b
Hofmeister, at Dresden, which was per
formed with view to the solution Of ths
| question whether in the rearing Of young
animals an addition of phosphate Of linn,
to the fodder will exert any definite nutri
tive effect as regards the formation of bon,
aud production Of flesh" As the resul
il appeared ''that the addition of phos
pilates to the fodder neither promoted tn,
building Of flesh nor aided in any markes
manner the formation Of bone" The
theory previously held is thus confirmed
that @the organic (albuminoid) nutritiy'
substances Of the food play everywhere tn,
most important part in the formation o
bone and flesh, aud the addition Of phos
phate Of lime can be of use only when i
is lacking in the organism. Harper
Magazine for Apr7.