Italian Market for British Fertilisers. 537 



a century. The canning and preserving of fruits and vegetables 

 had its inception in the country prior to 1850, but the Census of 

 1870 was the first which contained statistics of the industry. In 

 that year there were 97 fruit and vegetable canning establish- 

 ments in the States, employing 5,869 persons. The number of 

 such establishments had increased to 1,808 in 1900, while the 

 number of persons engaged in the industry had risen to 38,142, 

 The capital employed amounted to ^"482,000 in 1870, and in 

 1900 a total of ,£5,780,000 was reached. During the same 

 period the yearly value of the products advanced from £ 1 , 1 30,00a 

 to £1 1,806,000 ; but the average value of the product per estab- 

 lishment fell from £11,650 in 1870 to ^"6,530 in 1900. This 

 decrease is accounted for by the great number of establishments 

 employing small capital which have become engaged in the 

 industry since 1870, as well as by the great diminution in the cost 

 of production brought about by the introduction of machinery 

 into every detail of the business, both in the making of cans and 

 in the preparation of the product. Since 1883 machines have 

 been used for practically all operations in the manufacture of 

 canned goods, and to-day, even the labelling, trimming of labels, 

 and the boxing of goods are performed by mechanical devices 

 run by steam or electric power. 



[United States Census Bulletin, No. 209.] 



Italian Market for British Fertilisers. 



H.M. Consul at Venice states in his recent annual report that 

 the Italian Minister of Agriculture last season addressed a 

 circular to the Prefects enjoining them to warn landowners not 

 to buy artificial manure offered by travellers under the induce- 

 ment of saving the expense of the analysis, or of purchasing on 

 credit, as such manures are deficient in soluble and fertilising 

 elements, and are therefore of little value to agriculture. The 

 Minister added that a fraud is thus committed upon agricul- 

 turists, and a distrust is created against superphosphates, with a 

 consequent delay in their use. 



There are now several manure factories in Italy, but the 

 British superphosphates are considered superior, and con- 



