The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-07-10

other colleges, four schools of garden
ing and forestry, one school for horse
shoeing, one school for irrigation and
draining, and seventy seven agricul-
tural associations. Hesse Darmstadt,
whose population is less than $50, 900,
has eight agricultural colleges, besides
the agricultural department of the
University of Giessen. Oldenburg,
with a population of 100000, has
three colleges. SAKE Weimar, with
100000 inhabitants, has three agricul-
tural colleges and sixty-fve associa-
tions, besides large number of eve
ming schools and travelling professor
ships; and the agricultural department
in the University of Jena has fifteen
professorships supported by this little
State.
Thus, not to multiply the list of in
dividual schools, wherever we look in
Germany, we find that the utmost care
has been exercised not only to conduct
experiments, but to bring the results
Of these experiments to the knowledge
of the whole mass of the people. The
German empire contains not less than
one hundred and eighty-four agricul-
tural colleges and experiment stations,
whose duty it is not only to learn all
that can be learned of the capacity of
the soil and the methods of renewing
and enriching it, but to bring the re-
suits of these experiments to the table
of every farmer in the land.
In 1876 the twenty fifth anniversary
was celebrated of the establishment of
the first station at Mockern. The
event brought together the agricultu-
raj chemists and others interested in
advanced agriculture from all parts
of the empire. A special volume was
published in commemoration of what
had been accomplished The bare
titles of the papers, more than 1000
in number, covered l45 pages in the
octave volume. Then, too, look at
the number of subjects that received
attention. These papers treated of
original researches on the influence of
the atmosphere, the weather, and the
soil on the growth of plants; of the
physiology of plants, embracing
everything relating to the conditions
of their growth; of the diseases and
the enemies of plants; of the chemical
composition of all kinds of agricultu-
raj products; of the chemical compo-
sition of manures of all kinds; of ex-
periments with manures of all kinds
and on all kinds of crops; of the COM
position of the domestic animals and
their secretions; of the composition
of folders and foods; of the prepara-
tion and preservation of folders; of
the digestibility of different kinds of
folders; of the production of milk and
wool and meat; Of silk culture; of
forestry; of the manufactures of but
ter and cheese and sugar,-in short,
of all the possible varieties of agri ;ul-
'tural industry.
Besides, [ ought, perhaps, to note
the attention that is paid to the breed
ing of horses and the care of domes-
tic animals. The veterinary schools
of Germany are justly famous. The
improvement of the various breeds of
horses and cattle is regarded as one of
the most important industries entitled
to the care of the State. How we'll
this idea is carried out may be inferred
from the single fact that the German
Empire keeps over 5000 blooded stall
lions for this purpose; and Prussia
alone has three breeding establish
ments with 2,lO0 mares. There are
also seven other establishments in
Germany of similar kind, one of
which contains about 5000 and the
other about 5000 horses.
In this way it is that the people of
Germany have met the demands
placed upon them to improve their
agricultural resources.
[ suppose that everybody who has
been in rural Germany has observed
two striking peculiarities. The first
is the thoroughness with which the
land is titled, the skill with which all
it's resources are brought out, and the
consequent abundance of the returns
in the way of crops. The second is
the unfavorable conditions which ma
ture seems to have imposed upon the
people. The native quality of the
soil is generally of inferior character.
Much of Prussia hundred years ago |
was little better than vast plain OF |