706 Agricultural Administration in Austria-Hungary. 
by societies, was established in 1881, under the directorship o 
Professor von Liebenberg. The work of the station is almost 
exclusively the examiuation of seeds. This privilege is extendei 
not only to farmers, but also to seedsmen, and the samples arc 
drawn in warehouse from the bulk by officers of the station, 
after which the quality, as determined by the examination, is 
branded on the bags. It is also customary, when any sale is 
effected, to draw a sample in the presence of two witnesses, 
and if, on examination, it proves to be under the guarantee, the 
seller must either make good the deficiency or else take the 
goods back at his own expense. 
In addition to the seed-testing, a large number of botanical 
investigations are carried out for the purposes of scientific 
research. The analyses include the botanical separation of seeds 
and grasses, the examination of barleys as to their malting 
properties, and the examination of hops. The station possesses 
collections of the seeds of forage-plants, cereals, and of the plants 
of commerce and forests, as well as of pure and adulterated 
feeding-stuffs, and of the most important weeds and wild 
flowers. 
The following table shows the rapid development of the 
work : — 
No. of samples received 
Samples sent for analysis , , 
Botanical investigations 
Samples drawn from bulk, the sacks \ 
being branded with the results of \ 
the analyses . . j 
1881 
207 
423 
1885 
800 
1,045 
1889 
2,266 
4,486 
278 
1,458 
3,945 
This station has always received Government assistance. At 
first this took the form of a guarantee against deficit in ex- 
penditure to the amount of 700 florins per annum, which was 
increased in 1882 to 800 florins, and to 1,000 florins in 1889. 
Since then the Government has promised a contribution of 1,000 
florins for the present year, aud 1,500. florins (= 125J.) for 
the three following years. 
The Austrian Agricultural Experiments Society. — As has been 
already stated, Austria does not possess any agricultural experi- 
mental station for field experiments, as the so-called " experi- 
mental stations " described above are simply highly developed and 
well conducted laboratories for the skilled analysis of manures, 
feeding-stuffs, and seeds. But this deficiency is to a large 
extent met by the Society for the Progress of Agricultural Ex- 
periments in Austria, founded in 1885 by the Chevalier Em. de 
Proskowetz, Junior, of Kwassitz, who has since acted as the 
