RURAL ECONOMICS. 789 



facilities, and moro liomolikc surroundings. Improvement along these lines, 

 it Is believed, would aid in preventing rural depopulation in Ireland. 



[The relations of farm labor in East Prussia], A. Hoffmeister and W. 

 Knorr (lUus. Lamlw. Ztg., 27 (1007), Nos. 79, pp. OSf), 690, fit/a. 6; 8.2, />/>. 7///, 

 715, figs. 3). — These articles discuss the losses and transposition of the popula- 

 tion of East Prussia from 1885 to 1905, inclusive. 



From 1885 to 1900 the decrease in agricultural i)opulation was 84,21.3, and 

 in 1905, of a total deci-ease of 33,119 workers, 22,937 or 69.3 per cent belonged 

 to the agricultural classes. The percentage of loss was felt the most on farms 

 ranging from 14 to 28 hectares in extent. Of the decrease in population in 

 1905, the agricultural parishes lost 89.2 per cent of the total. 



Juridical relations between employer and farm servant {Budapest, 1907, 

 pp. 15). — This is the text of the law passed in 1907 regulating the relations 

 between employers and contract farm servants in Hungary. 



What can the farmer do if his hired man breaks his contract? (Landic. 

 Wchn.sclu: 8achscn, (1907), Xo. yj, pp. .',29-J,Sl ). — As compared with about 

 500 cases of breach of contract on the part of farm laborers in Saxony during 

 1902-1904. it is shown that more than 1,200 were reiiorted for the year 1900. 

 This tendency is regarded as detrimental to agricultural interests. The penalties 

 for such acts are enumerated, and a uniform law throughout Germany is 

 advocated. 



The present and future of agricultural cooperation in Piedmont, Casalini 

 (B(jI. Qiiiiul. Soc. Agr. Ital.. 12 ( 1907). Xo. 22. pp. 99 1 -999 ) .—This is an address 

 delivered at the national agricultural congress held at Mondovi in September, 

 1907. 



The cooperative associations number 6.34. of which 143 are mutual credit 

 societies, and the opportunity for growth is shown by a comparison of the 

 ratio of associations to number of inhabitants in Piedmont and Germany. Ac- 

 cording to the author. Piedmont has the greatest number of landal proprietors 

 in Italy, 197 per 1,000 inhabitants, and is, therefore, the most likely center for 

 the future development of the cooperative movement in Italy. The advantages 

 of cooperation to the owners of small and medium-size farms are pointed out 

 and the results attained are believed to justify the expectation of still greater 

 benefits to all agricultural classes in the future. 



Agricultural cooperative societies, J. Tribondeau (Semaine Agr. [Paris], 

 26 (1907), Xo. 1381, pp. 357, 358).— In this article the opportunities for the 

 further development of agricultural cooperative societies in France are discussed. 



It is pointed out that cooperative societies can not now reap any benefits 

 from the fund of 40,000,000 francs advanced by the government to the district 

 banks for the encouragement of agricultural cooperation unless they are 

 affiliated with local mutual credit banks, and this is regarded as a defect in the 

 law which should be amended. 



[The friar-lands loan fund] (Off. Gaz., 5 (1907), Xo. .',5, pp. 777, 778).— 

 The text of the law appropriating .$100,000 as a fund for the promotion and ex- 

 tension of agriculture on the so-called " friar lands " in the Philippine Islands, 

 is reported. 



Agricultural cooperative societies, C. Borges, Jr. (Bol. Dir. Agr. Bahia, 

 9 (1907), Xo. -7. PI). .'/77-.'/<S0). — In continuation of a i)revious article (E. S. R., 

 18, p. 786), the author calls attention to the necessity of organizing cooperative 

 societies in Brazil as a means of improving the welfare of the agricultural 

 classes. , 



Agricultural credit [in Brazil], J. I. Tosta (BoL Dir. Agr. Bahia, 9 (1907), 

 Xo. -',, pp. 325-33-'/).— As a conclusion to a previous article (E. S. R., 19, p. 288), 



