378 BELGIAN AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 


often given as a change of diet, and it is also customary to 
vary the grain diet as much as possible. 
Great care is taken to keep the young brood in a dry and 
warm locality, in order to prevent inflammation of the intes- 
tines and similar troubles. Asa rule, the birds are confined 
on wet days and allowed to run about as much as possible 
only in fine sunny weather. In winter a more generous diet 
is given to enable them to withstand the cold. The daily 
grain ration for the fowls is from 2} to 3 ounces. 

A. BELGIAN HAGRICULDURAL, SOGInIae 
Agricultural Societies were first established in Belgium by 
the Government in 1848, and in order to adapt them to more 
modern conditions, they were reorganised in 1889. They con- 
sist of groups of farmers whose duty is to watch over the - 
agricultural interests of their district, and to furnish informa- 
tion and an annual report to the authorities. The Board 
have recently received from M. Paul de Vuyst, one of the 
Inspectors of Agriculture of the Belgian Ministry of Agri- 
culture, an interesting report on the local agricultural society 
of Herzele, which is an excellent type of the more practical 
of these local associations. Briefly stated the work of the 
Herzele agricultural society has included the inauguration of 
agricultural experiments ; co-operation in the purchase of 
farming requisites ; the application of co-operative principles 
to certain branches of farming ; the establishment of mutual 
insurance societies and credit banks, and the formation of 
boards of arbitration and conciliation for the settlement of 
disputes. 
Plot and field trials, and important dairy experiments, have 
been conducted by the society, anda department for the 
control and sale of seeds has been established. The import- 
ant co-operative dairy founded by the society at Borsbeke- 
les-Alost has already been referred to in this Journal (Vol. vi., 
