20 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. 



Among other societies for the promotion of agricultural interests may 

 be mentioned the more strictly scientific and economic organizations. 



The Central Agricultural Society (la Societe centrale d'agriculture) 

 is a kind of agricultural academy. Its members comprise property 

 holders and scientific men from all parts of the Kingdom. Monthly 

 meetings are held in Brussels for consultation and discussion. The 

 proceedings of the society are published in a journal. 1 The agricultural 

 engineers, alumni of the G-embloux and Lou vain technical schools, also 

 have organizations which publish journals. 2 There is a national society 

 organized for the improvement of draft horses, a national forestry asso- 

 ciation, 3 and several other organizations for special purposes. 



Among the latter, the apicultural society of Hainaut deserves special 

 mention. It was formed in June, 1S90, with 19 sections and 650 mem- 

 bers. At present it has 39 sections and numbers 2,000 members in 

 Hainaut, iSTamur, and Brabant. The work has been developed by theo- 

 retical and practical conferences (about 200 a year) ; by lotteries for the 

 distribution of books, implements, etc. ; by the purchase of apicultural 

 materials for members; by the establishment of honey depots, and by 

 local and general expositions with competitive awards. It has pub- 

 lished up to date a manual of apiculture, a work on floriculture, two 

 pamphlets on the wintering of bees — one technical and the other popu- 

 lar, and a regular monthly bulletin. 4 The society exchanges publica- 

 tions with societies in Belgium and other countries. It has greatly 

 increased apiculture in Belgium. 



Among the economic societies may be mentioned the fertilizer syndi- 

 cates. These are commercial enterprises and in some cases unite this 

 feature with a cooperative plan. The most important of these syndi- 

 cates is that of Landen, established in L884, with a capital of 300,000 

 francs ($00,000). It has numerous branches and sells not only to its 

 members, but to outsiders, the latter paying a higher price. It pub- 

 lishes a weekly paper. 9 Some of the shareholders are not purchasers, 

 but invest capital for profit. 



The Liege agricultural syndicate also publishes a journal, 6 and that 

 of Cainpine-IIerbaye publishes interesting annual reports. 7 



These syndicates differ from the cooperative societies previously men- 

 tioned. They are enterprises for selling goods at a profit, the profits 

 being divided among the shareholders. The cooperative societies only 

 attempt to provide their members with goods at the lowest possible 



'Journal <le la Socie"t6 centrale d'agriculture, linissels. 



-Revue agronomique de Louvaiu. L'lngenieur agricole de Gembloux. 



Bulletin de la Societe centrale foresticre, Brussels. 

 4 Le progres apicole, Charleroi. 

 5 La cooperal ion agricole, Landen. 

 ,; Le syndical agricole, Lidge. 



7 Rapport du conseil d' administration <lu syndical agricole Campine-Herbaye Bur 

 lis operations <lu syndicat, Hasselt. 



