386 



[November, 1912. 



During the last year much attention was attracted to methods by 

 which ammonia present in crude gas, either from the gas retort or from 

 the coke-oven, could be obtained in the form of a solid salt fit for sale but 

 without the necessity of providing sulphuric acid as is the case at present 

 in all works producing sulphate of ammonia. 



In the table below are shown the imports of the materials used in the 

 fertiliser trade, the principal being mineral phosphates, A proportion of 

 the nitrate of soda imported is used in the manufacture of sulphuric and 

 nitric acids, 



1911. 1910. 1909. 



Tons. Tons. Tons. 

 Guano ... 34,124 20,395 20,321 



Mineral phosphates 493,413 455,593 451,807 

 Nitrate of soda ... 128,487 126,498 90,207 

 The figures show considerable increases compared with 1910. 

 The number of chemical manure works under inspection in 1911 was 

 159, as compared with 167 in 1907. In Scotland the chemical manure works 

 numbered 37, or one less than in 1910. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL 

 CO-OPERATION IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



The Journal of the Board of Agriculture for October, 1912, has an article 

 on Co-operative Agricultural Distributive Societies. These Societies 

 undertake the collective purchase of the manures, seeds, implements, 

 etc., required by the members and the collective sale of their produce. 

 There were 145 such societies at work in 1909 in England and Wales, and 

 31 in Scotland as compared with 4 and 1 respectively in 1895. In England 

 and Wales in 1909 the membership was 13,589, the total sales were 

 £885,683, and the profit £8,140 ; while in Scotland in the same year the 

 membership was, 3,860, the sales £227,141, and the profit £1,948. 



With regard to egg and poultry societies there were, at the end of 

 1909, fifteen such societies in England and Wales, with a membership 

 of 986 and total sales amounting to £15,453 while in Scotland there were 

 two such societies with a membership of 89 and total sales amounting 

 to £438. 



Go-operative Productive Societies are occupied in buying, manu- 

 facturing and selling the produce of the individual members, and their 

 operations are chiefly confined to the dairying industry. In 1909 there 

 were 18 such societies in England and Wales with a membership of 1,048. 

 a share capital of £20,356, total sales amounting to £06,506 and a profit 

 of £640, as compared with 7 societies in 1895 with a membership of 665, 

 share capital of £13,597, total sales amounting to £17,544 and a loss of 

 £120. In the case of Scotland 5 societies were at work in 1909 against 1 in 

 1895, and the sale had increased from £11,786 in 1895 to £37,317 in 1909. 

 There was a loss on the working of these Scottish societies in both 

 years. 



An important position among these societies is held by the cattle 

 and pig insurance societies. Their number and work have, however, 

 increased only very slightly, viz, from 55 with a membership of 

 3,424 and reserve funds of £6,599 in 1899, to 57 societies with a member- 

 ship of 3,951 and reserve funds of £7,671 in 1909 in the United Kingdom. 



