AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES IN WURTEMBERG, 599 

1,592,861; and goats, 47,652. It may further be noted 
that two-thirds of the cattle, viz., 959,570, were dairy cows of 
two years and over. 

AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES IN WURTEMBERG. 
The number of agricultural and co-operative societies of 
various kinds in Wurtemberg appears, according to an article 
in the official Fahkrbuch of that country, to be considerable, 
and it is through these agricultural societies that the Govern- 
ment grants for the improvement of live stock and the assist- 
ance of agriculture generally are to a large extent admin- 
istered. 
The number of district societies in 1897 amounted to 64,. 
with 48,739 members. More than one-half of these societies 
undertake the co-operative purchase of fertilisers, feeding- 
stuffs, and other farming requisites for the benefit of their 
members. All of them assist and endeavour to promote the 
establishment of co-operative dairies and other forms of co- 
operation, and also undertake the improvement of live 
stock. 
The development of agricultural credit in Wurtemberg ap- 
pears to be very extended, and in 1897 the Union of Societies 
for this purpose included no less than 766 loan banks, with 
68,058 members. Of this number the transactions of 716, 
whose accounts were complete at the time of the Report 
above referred to, amounted to £3,501,265, their profits to 
£8,376, and the reserve funds to £40,020. 
Co-operative organisation for the purpose of the sale in 
common of agricultural produce has lately made great 
progress, partly by the assistance afforded by the Govern- 
ment to this branch of co-operation, but chiefly owing to the 
fact that the farmers are learning to value more and more the 
advantages of combined action. The earliest example of 
a society of this kind is an association of vine-growers 
