EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Vol. 1. MARCH, 1890. No. 4. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



STATISTICS OF THE (iEIOIAN AOKKULTl UAL EXPEROIEXT STATIONS. 



The following statistics of the German agricultural experiment 

 stations have been compiled from accounts of these stations, given 

 by Prof. Friedrich Nobbe, in Mentzel und Von Lengerke's Land- 

 vdrthschaftUeher Kalender for 1890, and brought down to July, 

 1889. As indicated in the table, these stations are conveniently classed 

 in two general divisions, viz: Those which belong to the Association 

 of Agricultural Experiment Stations in the German Empire, and 

 those which are outside the association. This association was founded 

 in 1888 to promote the interests of the stations and their work 

 throughout the Empire, and especially to secure uniformity in 

 methods of investigation and inspection of fertilizers, feeding stuffs, 

 seeds, etc. The purposes, indeed, are very similar to those of the 

 American Association of Official Agricultural Chemists. Forty-three 

 of the German stations are included in the membership of the associa- 

 tion. Of the twenty stations outside the association but few are 

 concerned with the special lines of work which the association 

 promotes. 



The first agricultural experiment station in Germany, and in the 

 world, was established at Mockern, Saxony, in 1851. In 18(51 there 

 were nine stations: in 1871, twenty-three; and in 1881 at least fifty- 

 three. The list giv(Mi herewith contains sixty-three. 



The income of the German stations is received from the general and 

 provincial governments, from agricultural societies, from analyses of 

 fertilizers, and from other sources. Complete financial statistics are 

 not at hand. In 1889, according to the statistics here cited, twenty- 

 five stations received from the government $49,103; ten stations 

 received $5,1 ()5 from agricultural societies; thirteen stations received 

 $31,526 from analyses of fertilizers, etc. The total revenues of 

 twenty-two stations are here accounted for and amount to $153,928. 

 A large number of the workers are officers of the universities and 

 agricultural schools with which the stations are connect-ed, and receive 



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