CCXX GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



lupe of Cyperaceae, Blygonaceoe, Rosacea?, and Liliaceae. 

 The more common plants of the island are Er odium, cieretari- 

 wm, a common weed of Europe, a pine common to Southern 

 California, a juniper common in California, a cypress similar 

 to a Mexican species, a small oak common throughout Cali- 

 fornia, and a palm, 40 feet high, whose fruit is edible. The 

 vegetation of this island is not a derived one from California 

 or any other region by any process of conveyance or selec- 

 tion, but it is an integral part of the flora of California, con- 

 tributing beyond its measure toward the completion of that 

 flora, and giving some hints as to the close connection that 

 may, at some time, have existed between it and others more 

 remote." 



AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 



A resume of progress in Agricultural Science would prop- 

 erly include, first of all, a reference to the Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Stations, since it is in these institutions that by far 

 the largest part of the research in this branch of science is 

 carried on. 



It is in Europe, and especially in Germany, that the exper- 

 iment stations are most fostered. There are at this date 

 some forty experiment stations proper in active operation 

 within the limits of the German Empire, and twenty-two in 

 other European countries. Besides these, there are between 

 twenty-five and thirty laboratories and other establishments 

 supported by schools, societies, or private individuals, and 

 devoted to researches in agricultural science. 



But one or two new experiment stations have been actual- 

 ly established in Europe since our last annual report. Four 

 more have, however, been projected, and we shall doubtless 

 hear of their actual establishment, as we have of the organi- 

 zation of some projected during previous years. Among the 

 latter, by the way, is the one in Alsace-Lorraine, the province 

 lately acquired from France by Germany. It is worthy of 

 note that among the means adopted by Bismarck to recon- 

 cile and improve this new territory have been the establish- 

 ment of a university at Strasburg and an experiment station 

 at Rufach. 



In the United States some hopeful beginnings have been 

 made in this direction. The Bussey Institution of Harvard 



