1916) EDITORIAL. 609 



The official organ of the stations in that country, and also that of 

 the Hungarian stations, has shown but little change. 



Veiy many of the agricultural colleges and schools have felt the 

 effects of the war. For example, in England the Royal Agricultural 

 College at Cirencester, and the Agricultural and Horticultural Col- 

 lege at Uckfield have been closed, and Armstrong College has been 

 taken over as a military hospital, its agricultural departmeiit being 

 temporarily housed in a dwelling. 



Many of the French schools of agriculture had to close their doors 

 on the outbreak of the war, but arrangements have since been made 

 to open most of them. The national schools of agriculture at Rennes 

 and Montpellier are being occupied by the sanitary service. A consid- 

 erable number of the practical schools of agriculture and the farm 

 schools have resumed operation, and several of these are receiving 

 soldiers injured in the war. 



In Austria twelve farm schools, thirty-five winter schools, and 

 seven elementary forestry schools were temporarily closed on account 

 of the war. Several minor institutions in Germany closed their doors 

 temporarily, and the courses and attendance at the larger universities 

 were much affected. 



It is interesting to note that for the past two years the program of 

 the British Association meetings has shown indications of the war's 

 influence. The address of the president of the Agricultural Section 

 last year dealt with the subject of farming and food supplies in time 

 of war, showing the share contributed by British agriculture to the 

 national food supply, and the extent to which it had assisted in 

 making good the lack of supplies cut off by the war. This year the 

 presidential address before that section was by Dr. E. J. Russell, 

 director of the Rothamsted Station, and was on the subject of The 

 Possibilities and Prospects of Increased Food Production. 



The bulk of Dr. Russell's address was devoted to a consideration 

 of the means of increasing the yield per acre, and of reducing the 

 cost per acre and the uncertainties of production. He pointed 

 to certain modifications and adaptations in the interest of larger 

 production, notably a closer coordination of crop variety, soil and 

 climatic conditions, increased efficiency in fertilizer treatment, and 

 improvement in the management of barnyard manure to avoid waste. 

 He also referred to the need of agricultural education to raise the 

 ordinary farmer to the level of the good one, to the extension of the 

 area of land under cultivation by the reclamation of waste, and to 

 the substitution of arable crops for grass. The manner of treatment 

 of the subject showed a broad grasp both of the opportunities and the 

 means of extending production; and was typical of the liberal, 

 scholarly study which is being given the subject at this time. 



