SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE. 
fodders has increased enormously. This general tendency to change 
over from the production of crop products for export to their conversion 
into animal products before removal from the farm, has a_ special 
significance for Australian farmers, and it was remarked that along 
with other improvements in the general farming of the country (e.g., 
increase of production per head of stock, adoption of more prolific yarie- 
ties of all field crops, and the growth of co-operative enterprise), 
although simmering, as it were, throughout the latter half of last cen- 
tury, by far the greater part of all this agricultural reformation has 
‘been accomplished within the last twenty years. 
The second day was spent in visiting the warehouse of the Co-opera- 
tive Wholesale Society and the Co-operative Egg Export Depét. At the 
former institution, housed in a fine modern building, Mr. Hans 
Jorgensen addressed the party, and incidentally, in his opening remarks 
of welcome, thanked them for their part in bringing about the restitu- 
tion of South Jutland, which is everywhere taken as a foregone conclu- 
sion, at least as far as concerns the country lying north of the town of 
Sleswig. 3 
Mr. Jorgensen, himself a plant-breeder at one time, is now in charge 
of the seed departinent of the society, and before conducting the party 
over the warehouse, gave a short address on the position of co-operation 
in Denmark generally. He spoke of the early philanthropic efforts of 
his father, who was a comparatively wealtliy man, in founding the 
society, and financing it in its early stages; of the difliculties met with 
in public apathy, and the positive opposition of “the interests,” and 
even of the Government; and finally of the rapid development of the 
society, since 1898, to its present commanding position. .The annual 
turnover is now £4,000,000, and the affiliated (retailing) .societies num- 
bered twenty years ago 300 as against 1,600 to-day. (The population 
of Denmark, by the way, is about half that of Australia.) The position 
now is that if the society cannot obtain any particular “line” at a 
reasonable figure it establishes the necessary factory for its production, 
and thus has a big influence in protecting the public generally against 
overcharging. As illustrating the growth of co-operative business 
throughout the country a long list of other enterprises was quoted, from 
which the following are selected:—Socicties for the export of cattle, 
manufacture of cement, import of coal from England, and the great 
Workers’ Bank. Mention was also made of the possible carly union of 
co-operative societies throughout Scandinavia and the other Baltie 
countries (except Prussia!) into one powerful commercial body. 
In connexion with the seed supply of the O.W.S., it was pointed 
out that the society does not actually do any cultivation in bulk. 
“Elite” samples of the best varieties are supplied to approved farmers 
who raise, first, “stock” seed, and then the bulk supply (for distribu- 
tion and sale) under a strict system of contract and supervision, with 
precautions against hybridizing, &e. : 
The society has its own seed control laboratory for analyzing and 
testing the germinating capacity of all the seeds it handles, and through 
this laboratory the party were conducted. N ext, part of the seed ware- 
house was inspected. Several floors of a large building were seen filled. 
53 
