1909.] Notes from Foreign Office Reports. 



329 



faimers might be shown the results that could be accomplished by 

 following scientific methods. Some of the subjects treated were : 

 " Creamery Practice and Dairying," " Fertilisation and Cover Crops," 

 " Cereals," " Veterinary Matters," " Diseases of Animals." 



If the experiment proves successful, the train will be run to all 

 portions of the State and repeat its visits at intervals. 



Export of Live Stock from Poland to the United Kingdom. — Mr. 

 Consul Clive Bayley reports (F.O. Report, Annual Series, No. 4,232) 

 that there is a growing tendency in agricultural districts in Poland 

 towards forming small societies for the purpose of exporting swine, 

 cattle, and dairy produce to Germany and the United Kingdom. No 

 statistics as to profits are as yet to hand, but there seems to be a good 

 deal of business done. The export of swine to Prussia is also on the 

 increase. The Agricultural Society is doing its best to get small landed 

 proprietors to improve their breed of swine and feed them for the London 

 market, but this project can scarcely be carried out till Warsaw has a 

 central meat market managed on modern lines. 



In order to be able to develop their milk trade many farmers import 

 cattle from abroad or buy foreign breeds at home exhibitions. The 

 results, however, are nearly always disappointing, as not only do the 

 good breeds deteriorate as soon as they leave the exhibitors' hands, but 

 their offspring fall below the average of home-bred cattle. The reasons 

 for this are that the farmer buys breeds which are used to high lands 

 and puts them on low pastures, and also that the cattle receive very 

 little care. The Polish farmer thinks all he has to do is to get good 

 cattle from abroad and leave the rest to chance. His own cattle are 

 about the hardiest in the world. They live on straw in winter and the 

 poorest food in summer, and yet their owners manage to get cheese, 

 butter, cream, milk, and meat from them. They are generally sur- 

 prised that foreign cattle, for which they give high prices, cannot stand 

 this treatment so well, and the Central Agricultural Society is now 

 trying to organise lectures in order that farmers may better understand 

 the treatment of cattle. 



The Central Agricultural Society is also considering the possibility of 

 building a central meat market for swine and for the export of pork and 

 bacon to the United Kingdom. 



Hop Fair in Poland. — The above report also gives some information 

 as to the hop crop in Poland. Hop growing appears to have been 

 steadily decreasing during the past few years, but an attempt is being 

 made to organise a branch of the Central Agricultural Society for the 

 purpose of encouraging hop growing. 



The Warsaw hop fair was opened on October 1st, and lasted three 

 days, as against five days in 1907 and 10 days in previous years. The 

 amount of hops put on sale during the fair was 3,940 cwts. After it 

 was closed additional supplies arrived, which brought the total up to 

 about 4,280 cwts. as against 4,617 cwts. in the preceding year. These 

 figures tend to prove that, in spite of unfavourable conditions, the crop 

 was an average one, as they represent 22^ pouds of 36 lb. per acre. 



The fair opened briskly and became very animated later on. As the 

 poorer varieties had suffered most from the wind and rain the demands 



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