THE TRAVELLING PROFESSOR 115 



ing institutions here described had begun to 

 spread through Northern Italy that the forma- 

 tion of agricultural associations for the buying of 

 fertilizers, machinery, feeding-stuffs, etc., made 

 any really great progress. Even as it is, the 

 agricultural syndicates in Italy have not gone 

 much beyond the original idea of collective 

 purchase, and do not attempt to meet any- 

 thing like so great a variety of purposes as in 

 France. 



But Italy has gone far beyond France in 

 taking the second of the two steps which, as I 

 have said, were required to complete the Italian 

 system. The peasants had now both the means 

 of raising money easily, and the facilities for 

 laying it out to the best advantage ; but they 

 were still in need of such instruction in agricul- 

 tural questions as would tell them what to 

 purchase, and how to carry on their operations 

 with the greatest chance of success. In France 

 and other countries there are, it is true, State 

 functionaries whose duty it is to give expert 

 advice to agriculturists requiring it ; but these 

 officials are tied more or less by official routine, 

 and it was left for the Savings Bank of Parma — 

 which had already established Village Banks 

 throughout the province — to take the initiative, 

 in 1898, in the appointment of a travelling pro- 



