AGEICULTUEE AND EUEAL ECONOMY. 



By Professor W. 0. ATWATER, 



Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. 



The year 1877 has been remarkable for the manifestations 

 of increased interest in the study and the practical applica- 

 tions of agricultural science. A report of progress in this 

 direction will most properly begin with the agricultural ex- 

 periment stations, from which by far the largest part of the 

 investigations come. 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 

 Growth of the Experiment Stations. 



The twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the first Eu- 

 ropean station was held at the jDarent institution inMoeckern 

 September 15, 1877. The reports and statistics prepared for 

 this meeting furnish a proof as cheering as it is convincing 

 that agriculture is gradually coming into line with the other 

 arts and industries in the march of modern progress, and 

 making use of its share of the benefits of science. 



The first agricultural experiment station was established in 

 1852, by some progressive farmers, at Moeckern, near Leip- 

 sic, in Saxony. There are to-day no less than 119 regular- 

 ly organized agricultural experiment stations in the different 

 countries of Europe Portugal, Greece, and Turkey being the 

 only ones without them. 



The rate of progress of the experiment-station idea will 

 appear from the following figures, which show the number 

 founded each year since 1852 : 



1852. 

 1853. 

 ]855. 

 185G. 

 1857. 

 1858. 



1 

 1 

 1 

 3 

 6 

 1 



1859. 

 1861. 

 1862. 

 18G3. 

 1864. 

 1865. 



2 

 4 

 1 



Q 

 O 



6 

 4 



1866. 

 1867. 

 1868. 

 1869. 

 1870. 

 1871. 



4 

 1 

 2 



5 

 7 

 7 



1872. 

 1873. 

 1874. 

 1875. 

 1876. 

 1877. 



12 

 6 



8 

 14 



7 

 20 



The number thus given is 127. To these should be added 



