EURAL ECONOMICS. 789 



Stave silo construction, P. Rowe {Dept. Agr. and Immigr. Va., Dairy and 

 Food Div. Bui. 24 [1913], pp. 26, flgs. 7).— Practical instructions are given for 

 the planning and construction of stave silos. 



RURAL ECONOMICS. 



Hay and history, V. G. Simkhovitch (Polit. Sci. Quart., 28 (191S), No. S, 

 pp. 3S5-403).— The author describes the organization and history of the village 

 community as found in many localities of Europe to-day, holding that anything 

 so fundamentally characteristic as is the village community of European 

 farming and its influence upon a permanent agriculture Is of fundamental eco- 

 nomic importance. He attributes the origin of the village community to simple 

 economic necessity and its survival to prevailing methods of farming, treatment 

 of soils, and crops cultivated. Considerable attention is given to the effect and 

 influence of the introduction of hay upon agriculture as an industry and the 

 part the village community has had In revolutionizing modern agriculture, 

 showing that the introduction of grass seed and the various clovers into a 

 system of crop rotation has had the effect of changing the basis of agriculture 

 and to a large extent reversing the law of diminishing returns and soil 

 exhaustion. 



Indian wheat and grain elevators, F. Nojsl-Paton (Calcutta: Com. Intel. 

 Dept., 1913, 2. ed., pp. 11+134, flffs. 28).— Facts and data relative to expedients 

 employed in India and other countries for the transportation of farm products 

 are here presented, showing what effect the construction of elevators has had 

 upon the growing of grain, expansion of trade and commerce, development of 

 agriculture, and the building up of transportation facilities. 



Cooperative stock shipping that pays, W. H. Tomhave (Country Gent., 7S 

 (1913), No. 36, pp. 1296, 1297, fig. i).— This article describes in detail the 

 method of organization, manner of shipment, and progress made by an associa- 

 tion of farmers in Meeker County, Minn., organized in 1908 for the purpose of 

 selling live stock. 



It is noted that 14 carloads were shipped the first year for gross returns of 

 $11,599. In 1912, 146 carloads, consisting of 6,380 hogs, 1,515 cattle, 1,972 calves, 

 and 1,047 sheep, were shipped with a gross return of $181,510.36, and a net 

 return of $171,190.59. The cost of handling per 100 lbs. was 33 cts. with hogs, 

 28.1 cts. with cattle, 56.5 cts. with calves, and 47.3 cts. with sheep. 



The author states that the enterprise has resulted in a financial saving to 

 the farmers, and has also resulted in better feeding and better breeding, 

 created a greater demand for pure-bred sires, and encouraged better business 

 methods. 



The problem of rural credit or farm finance in the United States, J. L 

 Coulter (Wis. Bd. Agr. Bid. 1, 1913, pp. 39; 63. Cong., Spec. Sess. U. S. Senate, 

 Doc. 5, 1913, pp. 26).— This document discusses and Illustrates the necessity for 

 rural credit in the United States, showing the land area, farms operated by 

 tenants, and the present indebtedness among farm owners. Various systems 

 of rural credit are discussed relative to their merits and defects. To aid in 

 solving the rural economic problem the author recommends the adoption of 

 better systems of registering land titles in the various States, the formation 

 of land mortgage associations and credit unions, the elimination of the store 

 credit system, and the adoption of amendments to state and national laws 

 mating it possible for state and national banks and trust companies to handle 

 the class of securities which farmers are best able to furnish. 



Home colonization in Norway (Internut. Inst. Agr. [Rome], Mo. Bui Econ 

 and Soc. Intel., 4 (1913), No. 7, pp. 129-139). -In addition to a historical sum- 

 mary of the conditions and causes leading to the passage of an act by the 



