EDITORIAL. 609 



iiiul.v injurious insects ;uul diseases, with experts in these several lines, 

 ludeeci, where we tind tliese diti'ercnt ])ranehes working- side 1)}' side, 

 tliey ai'e usually broken up into as many separate stations, each with 

 its own direetoi'. This is partl}^ a matter of tinances and larg-ely of 

 eustom. The union of a number of dei)artments in a single station 

 seems o})posed to the ruling system in Europe, and it is admitted that, 

 as far as advanced work goes the European plan has much to com- 

 mend it. 



The special stations are devoted to such subjects as tobacco, Hax, and 

 cotton culture, moor culture, forestr}^, viticulture, wine making, brew- 

 ing and distilling industries, milling, sugar and starch industries, 

 indigo, sericulture, l)utterand cheese making, etc. A number of these 

 special stations are found in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, 

 Spain, and Switzerland. In some cases they are partially supported 

 ])y governmenj; appropriation, while in others they are entirely under 

 the control and maintenance of local organizations. 



The work of the control stations is generally understood. Man}'' of 

 these undertake no investigations but contine themselves to the exami- 

 nation of fertilizers, seeds, feeding stuffs, etc. The agricultural labo- 

 ratories differ from the control stations in being esta])lished primarily 

 for the convenience of farmers who desire anal3'ses made, and fre- 

 quentW have no regular control duties. Systems of such agricultural 

 laboratories are maintained in Belgium, France, Italy, and Sweden. 



The botanic stations and gardens, while frequently not established 

 for the direct benefit of agriculture, render considerable incidental aid 

 in the introduction and acclimatization of plants, distribution of seeds, 

 etc., and a considerable numl)er of them have experimental fields con- 

 nected with them, so that they have developed into stations comparable 

 with man}' of the experiment stations. In Great Britain and France 

 the botanic gardens constitute one of the features of the experiment 

 station system. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London, have 

 connected or in cooperation with them a system of 102 Ijotanic gardens 

 and stations distributed through Great Britain and its colonies. In a 

 similar way there are affiliated with the Colonial Gardens at Vincen- 

 nes, France, a system of 15 gardens and stations located in the various 

 French dependencies. In many instances these gardens constitute the 

 only agencies which have been provided in the newer countries, and 

 their work is quite varied and impoi'tant to agricultural development. 



The experiment farms and demonstration fields are found quite 

 extensively in Australia, New Zealand, India, the Netherlands, and 

 Russia. In a number of countries where the station movement is new 

 these farms and fields riipresent the initial step in agricultural experi- 

 mentation. For instance, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Brazil, Bul- 

 garia, and Paraguay a beginning has been made by the establishment 



