I20 



Miscellaneous Notes. 



[may, 



in a somewhat rudimentary form. In that year, however, the 

 French Government included in the Budget of the Department 

 of Agriculture a sum of ^20,000 out of which small amounts 

 (not less than £20) are granted, usually to assist in the founda- 

 tion of new societies by the payment of preliminary expenses, 

 &c., or, in the case of established societies, to help tide them over 

 any exceptional losses which they may have incurred. Accord- 

 ing to a return recently issued by the French Minister of Agri- 

 culture, it appears that there were on 15th March, 1906, 6,556 

 mutual insurance societies, having 376,000 members, the capital 

 insured amounting to nearly ;^2 1 ,ODO,ooo. Of this number, 

 5,993 are for the insurance of cattle, 495 for insurance against 

 fire (agricultural risks), 28 against hail, 4 against accidents, and 

 36 are re-insurance societies. The total grants have amounted 

 to ^^157,000. Cattle insurance societies are by far the most 

 numerous, and this is explained by the fact that the risks are 

 smaller and less dangerous than in the case of insurance against 

 fire, hail, or accidents. The value of the cattle insured was 

 1 3, 5 20,000 belonging to 324,000 members. For several years 

 the efforts of the administration have been directed to the 

 grouping of small local societies into unions or federations, with 

 a view to the diminution of risks, and to enable them to sustain 

 exceptional losses. Re-insurance societies now exist in 25 de- 

 partments, representing 1,719 affiliated societies, and about 

 ;^3, 500,000 value insured. 



Insurance against fire is undertaken by 495 societies having 

 18,074 niembers, the value insured being about ^^6,400,000. 

 Most of these societies are federated in three unions. 



Agricultural Exhibition at Antiverp. — An exhibition will be 

 held at Antwerp from July 7 — 16 next, and some of the sec- 

 tions will be open to international exhibitors, 



Miscellaneous . Poultry appliances, &c., agricultural 



Notes. , . , . , . \ t 1 



macnmery and implements, mciudmg horti- 

 culture and dairying ; manures, seeds, feeding stuffs, insecticides, 

 &c. ; improvement of sandy, marshy and uncultivated soils ; 

 horticultural appliances, packages, &c., and educational facilities. 



