596 ' EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The farmer and the consumer.— Can they be broug-ht together? (Country 

 Gent., 76 (1911), No. 30'//,, p. 52/).— This article discusses and illustrates the 

 relations between the laws of production and consumption, pointing out that 

 production from the soil has never kept pace through a series of years with 

 consumption, and showing that the low prices received by the farmer for his 

 produce are not caused by overproduction but by underconsumption, due to the 

 methods or system of present-day marketing. It is suggested that the pro- 

 ducer and ultimate consumer could simplify the per])]exities of marketing and 

 lighten the burdens of each by simple and direct cooperation. 



Credit cooperative societies in Russia and their intermediacy in joint pur- 

 chases and sales, S. V. Borodaevski (Ezheg. Drpt. Zeml. [Russia], 29 (190S), 

 pp. 280-300, pi i).— In 1895 the Russian government established for the first 

 time credit cooperative societies in which the members must be stockholders, 

 but the financial operations of which are conducted with capital obtained from 

 the Russian treasury, from private deposits, and from loans. By the law of 

 1904. the so-called loan and savings societies, private institutions which had 

 been existing in Russia for several decades, were caused by the government 

 to closely conform to the credit cooperative societies. 



In 1909 there were in Russia 1,644 loan and savings societies and 3,133 

 credit cooperative societies, with about 2,000,000 members. Peasants form 

 the majority of the membership. The financial statements of 902 loan and 

 savings societies on January 1, 1907, and of 2,635 credit cooperative societies 

 on January 1, 1909, show total resources amounting to 100,000,000 rubles 

 ($51,000,000), and a total of loans advanced amounting to 84,000,000 rubles. 

 These societies, in addition to advancing loans, gradually extend their opera- 

 tions in joint purchases of materials required by the members and in selling 

 the articles produced by them. 



Ameliorative credit in Russia, S. I. Slastxikov (Ezhcg. Dept. Zeml. [Rus- 

 sia], 30 {1909), pp. 668-703). — Credit organization by the Russian government 

 for agricultural improvements had its beginning in 1896, but little progress was 

 made until 1900, when new regulations were introduced which greatly stimu- 

 lated the applications and granting of loans for various improvements. From 

 1901 to 1904, the allowing of credit gradually increased, but with the begin- 

 ning of the Japanese War the appropriations for ameliorative credit were sus- 

 pended until 1908, when the government again began to make appropriations 

 for granting loans to peasants and fai-mers. 



The loans allowed in 1908 and 1909 amounted to 1.915,464 rubles ($976,886.64). 

 The interest charged is 3 per cent, except on loans for strengthening the shores 

 of rivers, ravines, and quicksand when it is only 2 per cent. The kind of im- 

 provements and number of loans with amounts of capital allowed in 1909 were 

 as follows : Drainage, 92 loans, 454,378.75 rubles ; irrigation, 113 loans, 229,594 

 rubles ; strengthening of soils, 11 loans, 10,962 rubles ; forest planting, 2 loans, 

 3,056 rubles ; orchards, 31 loans, 27,782 rubles ; vineyards, 5 loans, 10,600 rubles ; 

 wine making, 1 loan, 3,500 rubles ; grass sowing, 5 loans, 41,020 rubles ; clearing 

 of lands, 4 loans, 3,312 rubles; agricultural buildings, 20 loans, 55,554 rubles; 

 agricultural establishments, 10 loans. 19,525 rubles; farming. 1 loan, 1,610 

 rubles; breeding cattle. 16 loans, 21,230.5 rubles; sundry improvements, 11 loans, 

 20,500 rubles; and butter-making cooperative societies, 96 loans, 117,875 rubles. 



Supply and wages of farm labor, G. K. Holmes ( U. 8. Dept. Agr. Yearbook 

 1910, pp. 189-200). — The author points out that the attractions of the city and 

 the city's illusions of higher wages are robbing the farm of its laborers, show- 

 ing that 83.1 per cent of the number of persons having gainful occupations in the 

 United States in 1820 were engaged in agriculture, 44.1 per cent in 1880, and 

 35.3 per cent in 1900. It is shown that the introduction of farm machinery has 



