INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1874. clxvii 



was held at Rome, in which reports were made and discus- 

 sions held upon experiments on sugar-beet culture, and upon 

 the growth of maize and wheat; the management of silk- 

 worms; grape-culture and wine-making; and similar sub- 

 jects. We have reports of the continued and successful ac- 

 tivity of these stations, and of the establishment of others 

 by private enterprise. 



The Austrian government, through its ministry of agricult- 

 ure, has likewise caused the establishment of a number of 

 experiment stations, and provided funds for their successful 

 maintenance. 



It is in Germany, however, that by far the greatest amount 

 of research in agricultural science is made. The first experi- 

 ment station was established in Saxony about twenty-one 

 years ago. There are now in the German Empire some forty, 

 of which several have been established during the past year. 

 In each one of these stations from one to six persons are en- 

 gaged in the work of investigation. With these should be 

 reckoned a number of laboratories, connected with agricult- 

 ural schools, and devoted to work in agricultural chemis- 

 try. An idea of the character of the later researches in ani- 

 mal and vegetable chemistry and physiology may be gained 

 from the transactions of the Section for Agricultural Chemis- 

 try of the meeting of the German N~aturforscher unci Aerzte 

 held at Wiesbaden last September, at which nearly forty per- 

 sons, including the directors and chemists of a number of 

 the stations, were present, and some of the more important 

 labors of the stations were reported. 



Dr. Von Wolff described a number of series of experiments 

 on the digestive capacity of swine for various fodder mate- 

 rials, as barley, maize, beans, pease, cocoa-nut cakes, and even 

 cock-chafers (Mdikaefer), which latter were found to be quite 

 nutritious. The high digestive power of swine for carbo- 

 hydrates was strikingly demonstrated. Experiments on the 

 digestive capacity of sheep for hay and turnips were also 

 reported. 



Dr. Fleischer gave accounts of new respiration experi- 

 ments with sheep, performed at Weende, in continuation of 

 a series which has been going on for some years at that sta- 

 tion. Weiske and Weldt reported experiments showing that 

 more hippuric acid was excreted by rabbits when led on 

 clover than when fed on pure grass. 



