362 Chambers of Agriculture in Prussia. [sept.,. 



the district at so much an acre he would very soon recover the- 

 purchase money. On small farms a hand machine, which can- 

 be purchased for about 30s., will do all that is required. The- 

 bluestone and labour required in connection with spraying may 

 cost from 4s. to 7s. an acre. The benefits derived undoubtedly 

 more than counterbalance this outlay. 



The experiments carried out during recent years have all been^ 

 on the same plan, 3 per cent., 4 per cent., and 5 per cent, solu- 

 tions of sulphate of copper having been used at the rate of fifty 

 gallons per acre. In dry warm climates a 3 per cent, solution* 

 is usually sufficient, but in most parts of North Wales it has 

 been found that a 5 per cent, solution gives the best results. 



The Chambers of Agriculture, which are semi-official bodies- 

 constituted under a Prussian law of June 30th, 1894, exercise a 

 very important influence on the agri- 



Chambers of cultural life of Prussia. Broadly speakingr 

 . Agriculture in , , . , . , 



Prussia. they may be said to assist and support the 



farmer in every possible way ; they protect, 

 develop and promote the interests of agriculture and forestry in 

 all their branches, give advice to the Government, to landowners 

 and to farmers on all agricultural and technical questions, super- 

 vise agricultural and co-operative banks, co-operative societies,, 

 associations of all kinds for the improvement of the farming 

 industry, and issue market prices regularly. The members are 

 elected by the provincial parliament for periods of six yearsr 

 landowners, tenants and farmers being eligible for election ; 

 115 members are elected, who choose among themselves a 

 chairman and a board of eleven members who manage the 

 business of the Chamber. The members do not receive salaries, 

 but they receive los. per day for every day devoted to the work 

 of the Chamber and their actual railway ticket outlay. 



In the case of the Chamber of Agriculture of the Rhenish 

 Province the permanent staff, which is paid, consists of one per- 

 manent general secretary, six higher officials, four purely tech- 

 nical officials, sixteen clerks, two stock-breeding inspectors, one 

 poultry-breeding inspector, four viticultural teachers ; besides 

 these all the directors and masters of the thirty-one agricultural 



