497 
This state of things is attributed principally to the rapid increase of 
population, which rose from 1,595,668 in 1834 to 2,556,244 in 1871, an 
increase of 60.19 per cent. in 37 years. Meat consumption increased at 
an almost equal rate during that period, rising from 38.4 pounds per 
capita in 1839 to 60.8 pounds in 1874, or 58 per cent. in 35 years. 
Agricultural production has increased but moderately. Taking two 
periods of four years each, 184650 and 1868-72, the average wheat 
product of the former period was 2,926,000 centners, and of the latter 
3,238,000 centners, an increase of only 10.6 per cent.; rye production 
increased from 5,466,000 centners to 5,598,000, or 2.4 per cent.; barley, 
from 2,018,000 to 2,359,000, or 16.9 per cent.; oats, from 3,974,000 to 
4,901,000, or 23.3 per cent.; the total product of these four crops, from 
14,384,000 centners to*16,096,000, or 11.9 per cent. A centner is equal to 
- 113.37 pounds. 
Reckoning 10 sheep or goats, or 3 hogs as equivalent to one head of © 
cattle, there were in 1839 667,638 head, and in 1869 774,961 head, show- 
ing an increase in 30 years of only 16 percent. The average carcass 
weight of cattle was 352 pounds in 1840, 406 in 1851, 423 in 1860, and 
482 in 1869; the carcass weight of swine averaged 105 in 1840, 128 in 
1851, 154 in 1860, and 165 in 1869—that is, in 30 years the average weight 
of cattle increased 37 per cent. and of swine 57 per cent. The demand 
for meat has grown much more rapidly than the production. ! 
Within fifteen or twenty years, the wages of skilled labor have ad- 
vanced from 40 to 100 percent. This has attracted labor from agricul- 
ture to manufactures, and from the country to the city. In some parts 
of the country reliable labor is scarce, so that instances are related in 
which hay has rotted in the meadow, potatoes have frozen in the 
ground, and over-ripe grain has perished in the field, for lack of harvest- 
hands to gather and house the crops. 
PROGRESS OF ITALIAN AGRICULTURE.—The agricultural interest 
in Italy displays increasing vitality, and is making demonstrations upon 
the general market of Europe, causing some concern to foreign nations 
which have hitherto nearly monopolized several branches of trade. 
Wine production especially has made great progress of late years, and 
has attained an annual yield of 32,000,000 hectoliters, (845,369,600 gal- 
lons.) The wines of Italy approach the excellence of French wines in 
color, body, and bouquet. Their good qualities result less from culture 
and management than from superb natural conditions of soil and cli- 
mate. The wines of Southern France will be especially affected by the 
competition of Italian wine. But other branches of peninsular agri- 
culture are developing unexpected vitality. The markets of Germany, 
Austria, and Russia are becoming familiar with Italian vegetables and 
fruits, in their fresh and luscious state. Italian farmers are employing 
annually a smaller amount of commercial fertilizers, but they are enlarg- 
ing the manufacture of farm-yard manures, and they are learning to 
concoct their own artificial fertilizers from original elements. 
The Italian stock-raisers’ congress lately held its fifth annual session 
at Padua, under the presidency of Professor Keller, who, in his inau- 
gural address, insisted that in Italy live-stock production is on an inade- 
quate scale. While the Italian farmer is satisfied with 12 head of cattle 
per square kilometer, (247.1282 acres,) a Hungarian would count 16; an 
Englishman, 23; a Dutchman or Belgian, 42. ;In Italy there are 130 cat- 
tle for each one thousand inhabitants, while in many other European 
states the proportion is 300 or 400 per thousand people. ‘The professor 
urged the improvement of the breeds of Italian cattle and a more intel- 
