108 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



and is not exercised by all of the experiment stations in Germany. As 

 it is more botanical than chemical, it is in its details ontside of the 

 scope of agricultural chemists. Consequently as soon as the seed con- 

 trol had assumed considerable proportions there was a general tendency 

 to assign it to a separate division of the experiment stations or to 

 special seed-control stations. 



The union of the seed control stations, with the agricultural-chemical 

 experiment stations is not as necessary as in the case of the fertilizer 

 and feeding stuffs control. The director and assistants in the seed- 

 control station are not chemists but botanists, and hence are not inti- 

 mately associated with the other work of the agricultural experiment 

 station. On this account, there are many independent seed-control 

 stations in Germany, for instance, at Tharand, Kiel, and Breslau, among 

 others; and there are also several independent botanical divisions of 

 experiment stations, as at Halle, Moeckern, etc. 



The seed control, like the control of fertilizers and feeding stuffs, 

 increases from year to year. This is very desirable, as previous to the 

 introduction of the seed control there was great risk in buying seeds. 

 In Germany Professor Nobbe, of Tharand, deserves to be called the 

 father of this highly beneficial branch of station work. 



Control of dairy products. — This branch of the work of the agricul- 

 tural experiment stations is an entirely new one. The progress made 

 in the held of dairying has compelled the farmers to cooperate with 

 each other in the manufacture of dairy products and in disposing of 

 them. The incentive to this came through the invention of the cen- 

 trifugal separator, which made it possible to handle almost any amount 

 of milk in a creamery and to make butter cheaper than the farmer could 

 do it. Moreover, in Germany the requirements as to the quality of 

 butter have increased to such an extent that a small farmer who is not 

 in a position to make a uniformly good butter, year in and year out, 

 can notfullill them. To this was added the competition of oleomargann 

 with butter, and the adulteration of bntterVith margarin, which neces- 

 sitated the strictest possible control of the trade in butler in order to 

 stamp out as far asposible fraudulent trade in oleomargann. Unfortu- 

 nately, it must be acknowledged, this competition is by no means sup- 

 pressed to the extent that it should be. In spiteof the private control, 

 a legal regulation with severe penalties has been shown to be absolutely 

 necessary. 



These conditions showed the necessity of providing suitable agencies 

 for the protection of the dairy interests, which was met in part by estab- 

 lishing dairy divisionsin the agricultural experiment stationsandin part 

 by establishing special dairy experiment stations. These not only exer- 

 cise a control over the dairy products but also work for the promotion 

 of the science of dairying. Bacteriology has found an important place 

 in connection with this dairy work and may be expected to solve mauy 

 problems in this held. 



