Sept. 1895.] 



GENERAL AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 



189 



Poultry Stations in Saxony. 



A recent number of the Landwirthschaftliche Jahvhiicher 

 contains some interesting information respecting the poultry 

 breeding stations estabhshecl by the Union of Poultry Breeders' 

 Associations in the province of Saxony. Ali-eady twenty-two 

 of these stations have been started in the past two years, and it 

 is proposed to open many others in the several districts repre- 

 sented by the twenty-five associations included in the Union. 



The main object of the poultry breeding stations is to provide 

 farmers and cottagers with a practical example of the advantages 

 of rational methods of rearing fowls and to put at their disposal 

 the means of obtaioing useful birds at a reasonable price, A 

 farm occupied by a member of the local association is usually 

 selected to serve as the station, which is equipped with a stock 

 of birds of various first-class breeds at the cost of the Union. 

 The occupier of the station is bound by a contract to supply 

 members of the associations with eggs for breeding purposes at 

 the price of Is. \0d. per dozen. He is also expected to keep a 

 record of the productiveness of the different kinds of hen birds 

 supplied by the Union. 



The improvement of the ordinary breeds of poultry by 

 selection and otherwise forms part of the experhiiental work 

 carried out at the stations. Experiments are also made in the 

 acclimatisation of French and other useful breeds, which under 

 ordinary conditions are unable to stand the climate of Saxony. 



Roumanian Sheep and Wool. 



The Board have lately received from the Roumanian Govern- 

 ment a copy of the Agricultural Statistics of that country which 

 give, inter alia, the following information regarding the number 

 of sheep, and the production of wool, in Roumania. 



The number of flockmasters is stated to be 168,206 owning 

 4,530,000 sheep, and the quantity of wool produced yearly is 

 estimated at 16,800,000 lbs. valued at over 400,000^. The price 

 of Roumanian wool varies, according to the district in which it 

 is grown and its quality, from ^d. to 9|cZ. per lb. 



As regards the wool trade of Roumania, the latest statistics 

 refer to the year 1892, when 2,833,000 lbs. of wool were exported, 

 of which an amount equal to 24,000 lbs. was manufactured 

 wool. During the same period, the total quantity imported was 

 over 6,000,000 lbs., of which only 700,000 lbs. was unmanu- 

 factured. 



The excess of imports over exports of wool during 1892 was 

 therefore considerably over 3,000,000 lbs., and this difference 

 becomes greater when calculated in the form of raw wool, for 

 over 80 per cent, of the imported wool was manufactured. 



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