GERMAN AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 211 



require supplementing and further extension. This lias been under- 

 taken by several experiment stations possessing respiration appara 

 tus, especially tbe experiment stations in Moeckern and Gottingen 

 Recently an excellent investigation in this line was published by Prof. 

 O. Kellner, of Moeckern, on the metabolism of matter and energy 

 in mature cattle. 1 



It is self-evident that the agricultural experiment stations must also 

 exercise a continual control over the plant diseases and the injurious 

 insects affecting cultivated plants. In Germany, as the research work 

 of the experiment stations is otherwise very large, these lines of inves- 

 tigation have been intrusted to special institutions. For example, the 

 institution originally established for the repression of beet nematodes 

 at Halle, the division for plant protection of the German Agricultural 

 Society, and others are working in this direction. 



In the course of time a division of the field of work became a matter 

 of necessity to the agricultural experiment stations, on account of the 

 extent of the executive work involved. For this reason special experi- 

 ment stations have been established in Germany for agricultural indus- 

 tries. These stations do not confine themselves to the technic of these 

 industries but study the culture and production of the agricultural 

 products which are employed in these industries. The most important 

 of Obese industries are the manufacture of sugar, alcohol, and starch, 

 and the brewing of beer. The latter industry especially has provided 

 an excellent plant for work, both from an agricultural and a technical 

 point of view. The station for potato, barley, and hop culture con- 

 ducted by Dr. von Eckenbrecher is devoted to determining the value 

 of the new varieties of these crops for industrial purposes. It carries 

 on extensive experiments every year on the value of the large number 

 of varieties which make their appearance, the claims for many of which 

 were formerly found to be wholly unjustified. Every new variety is 

 tested at the culture station, and those which are not found suitable 

 are at once excluded, while formerly a long practical experience was 

 necessary in order to reach a decision. 



It may be mentioned in passing that the experiment station for 

 alcohol and starch manufacture and beer brewing, conducted bj^ Pro- 

 fessor Delbruck, has contributed a long list of classic investigations of 

 the greatest importance to the theory and practice of the agricultural 

 industries. 



THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE RESULTS OBTAINED IN 

 VEGETATION AND FEEDING EXPERIMENTS. 



The lines of investigation enumerated above are well adapted to 

 working out the scientific principles of agriculture, and the German 

 experiment stations have made extensive and valuable contributions 



1 Landw. Vers. St.at., 47 (1896), p. 275; E. S. R. 7 9, p. 167. 

 7292— jSo. 3 2 



