1090 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Maine, iibamloned farms, farm labor and iiiimi^iralioii with accounts of the 

 Finn colonics near West I'aris and in South Tiioniaston, poimlation of towns and 

 rural districts, farm wajrcs, and loss iif rural pojiulatiou. 



The avcrajie monthly farm watres in Maine in ]!i(»7 was $20.14, a j^ain of 42 

 per cent since 1S8T. With rejiard to the rural poi»ulation, the decrease " has 

 n«it been so marked in the last 8 years as is shown by the census figures from 

 1860 to ]!I00." 



Farming west of the 100th meridian, James Wilson (lirrrdrr's Gnz., .'t'f 

 ( l!i'JS\, \o. 12, i>i>- 12lo, l.iUi). — This is a description by the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture of the work of this Department in soil surveys, the introduction and 

 culture of crojjs. the conservation of soil moisture, and the utilization of the 

 natural resources of the semiarid or dry lands of the Great I'lains I'egion. 



Agriculture in the Po Valley ( Economist, 6S {lOO'J), Xo. 3', 1 8, p. //JJ).— 

 This is a review of S. Pugliese's book on Two Centuries of Agriculture in the 

 Vercellese District of the Po Valley. The book treats of the economic conditions 

 among the laboring classes in the district, system of agriculture practiced, 

 changes in labor conditions during two centuries, systems of land tenure, rents, 

 contracts, prices, and women's wages. 



Agriculture in Bavaria according to the latest statistics. Zaiinbreciikk 

 iVrlUscJir. Bdi/cr. Ldiidic. Rut., 13 i IfiOS), Xo. .',, pp. 3 87 -301). —This is a com- 

 parative study of the Bavarian census figures of 1882. 18J)5, and 1007, with 

 special reference to the agricultural jiopulation. The percentages of the whole 

 population engaged in agriculture in these years were 50.9, 45.8, and 40.3, re- 

 spectively. The independent farmers in 1882 numbered 400.007 and in 1907 

 4.35,421, a relative decrease, when compared with the increase of population, 

 of 1.4 per cent. The number of farm hiborers increased from 1,097,207 in 1882 

 to 1.2.57.510 in 1907, a relative increase of 1.3 per cent. 



[Land occupation, live stock, and agriculture in New Zealand], E. .7. von 

 Dadelszen (Xnr Zeal. Off. Y(nrh<>(>lc 1008, pp. .'/(;.S- J.0.7 ). — Statistical returns 

 in 1908 are presented and discussed. Of 73.307 holdings, 21,180 ranged from 

 1 to 10 acres in size, 12,147 from 10 to 50 acres, and 10,098 from 100 to 200 

 acres, the last alone being a decrease over 1907 (E. S. R., 19, p. 1089). 



Crop Reporter {V. S. Dipt. Agr., Bur. Statis. Crop Reporter, 11 {1009). Xo. 

 }, pp. 2'j-28). — Statistical data on the condition of crops in the United States 

 and foreign countries, the condition and losses of farm animals, and the value 

 and prices of agricultural ])roducts are reported. 



Scientific investigation and its relation to practical farm work, E. J. 

 .Tames (Breeder's Gaz., 5', (lOOS), Xo. 12, pp. 1101, 1192).— The importance of 

 science in promoting the progress of agriculture and national welfare by in- 

 vestigations on soils, the culture and adaptation of crops, the prevention of 

 animal diseases, the invention of agricultural machinery, and the use of elec- 

 tricity on farms is discussed in this article. 



The problem of farm returns, A. Ostermayeu (Wiener Lnndir. Ztg.. o8 

 (1908), Xo. 98, pp. Oai-Od'i). — The data as to the returns from 10 different-size 

 farms in the district of Miihren are discussed and compared with similar data 

 from 29 other farms in the same section of country for the purpose of d<'ter- 

 mining the system of farm management that will give the best returns to capital 

 and labor. 



The supply of farm labor, G. K. Holmes (Ann. Amcr. Acad. PoUt. and 8oc. 

 Set., 33 (1909), Xo. 2. pp. 362-312). — This article is an analysis of the situation 

 concerning the supply and character of farm labor in the United States, with 

 suggestions as to the best means of conserving, increasing, and improving farm 

 labor. These means include retaining the children on the farm, the farmers' 

 institute movement, practical demonstrati«m work among farmers by experts 



