tically all the stations are keeping meteorological records, and ten are making special studies of problems relating to meteorological phenomena and climatic conditions. Thirty-six stations are investigating soils, their geology, physics, and chemistry, or conducting soil-tests with fertilizers or in other ways. Twenty-one stations are studying questions relating to drainage and seepage, or to irrigation in the field or greenhouse, and also irrigation of orchard, garden, or farm crops. Thirty-three stations are making analyses of commercial and home-made fertilizers, or are conducting field experiments with fertilizers. At least fifteen stations either exercise a fertilizer control in their respective States or make analyses on which the control is based. All the stations are studying the more important crops, either with regard to their composition, nutritive value, methods of manuring and cultivation, and the best varieties adapted to individual localities, or with reference to systems of rotation.
Forty-seven stations are investigating the composition of feeding-stuffs, making digestion experiments, conducting feeding experiments for milk, beef, mutton, or pork, or studying different methods of feeding. Twenty-nine stations are investigating subjects relating to dairying, including the chemistry and bacteriology of milk, creaming, butter-making, or the construction and management of creameries. Studies on the food and nutrition of man, including the composition and digestibility of foods and metabolism, are being conducted at fourteen stations. Fifty-two stations are doing chemical work, and often are studying methods of analysis. Botanical studies occupy more or less of the attention of forty-seven stations, including investigations in systematic and physiological botany, with special reference to the diseases of plants, testing of seeds with reference to their vitality and purity, classification of weeds, and methods for their eradication. Fifty-three stations work to a greater or less extent in horticulture, testing varieties of vegetables and large and small fruits, and making studies in varietal improvement and synonymy.
Several stations have undertaken operations in forestry. Thirty-six stations investigate injurious insects with reference to their restriction or destruction. Twenty-four stations study animal diseases and the methods for their prevention or cure. At least five stations are engaged in bee culture, and eight in experiments with poultry. One or more stations have made investigations on miscellaneous subjects, such as the following: Technology of wine, olive oil, cider, and vinegar; preservation of fruits and vegetables; the draught of farm implements; road-making; the manufacture of beet, cane, sorghum, and maple sugar; oyster culture, etc. For the history and present status of the stations in the United States see Office of Experiment Stations, Bulletin 80, p. 636.
British Empire. In England, the most important station is that established in 1843 by Sir John B. Lawes, at Rothamsted, with his own funds, and continued with a trust fund of £100,000. This station has done very valuable work on fertilizers and the nutrition of plants and animals. Agricultural researches are also carried on at the agricultural colleges at Aspatria, Cirencester, Downton (Salisbury), Uckfield, and Wye, Yorkshire College (Leeds), University College (Nottingham), University Extension College (Reading) , Durham College of Science (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), University Botanic Garden (Cambridge), Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew), and under the auspices of the Board of Agriculture, the Royal Agricultural Society of England, the Bath and West and Southern Counties Society, and a number of county education committees and councils.
In Scotland, similar work is done by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, the Agricultural Research Association of the North Eastern Counties, the Royal Botanic Garden at Edinburgh, Mareschal College of Aberdeen University, and the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College; in Ireland, by the Royal Dublin Society, Glasnevin Agricultural College, and Trinity College Botanic Gardens (Glasnevin); in Wales, by the University Colleges of Wales and North Wales. In Canada, the principal stations are the Central Experimental Farm at Ottawa, with branches in British Columbia, Northwest Territory, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, and the station at the Agricultural College of Guelph, Ontario. In the British West Indies, stations for the improvement of sugar-cane are maintained on Barbadoes, Antigua, and Trinidad, and botanical stations on these islands and on Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Tobago, under the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the West Indies, and at Jamaica by the Department of Public Gardens and Plantations. In Cape Colony, there is a government laboratory and herbarium at Cape Town, and a station at the agricultural schools at Elsenburg. In India, there are more than forty stations—farms and botanic gardens; in Australia, over thirty; and in New Zealand, eleven.
Europe. Germany has more than one hundred stations, many of which are connected with universities. A considerable number of stations maintain inspection and control of fertilizers, feeding-stuffs, and seeds; others are for investigations in special subjects, such as brewing and distilling, milling, animal chemistry or physiology, veterinary science, dairying, plant diseases, and plant physiology. Among the most important German stations are those at Berlin, Halle, Bonn, Breslau, Darmstadt, Munich, Göttingen, Bernburg, Möckern, Poppelsdorf, and Tharandt. France has about 70 stations and laboratories, of which the best known are those at Grignon, Juvisy, Montpellier, Paris, and Versailles. Austria has 41 stations; Belgium, 15; Denmark, 10; Holland, 18; Hungary, 16; Italy, 22: Switzerland, 13; Norway and Sweden, about 45; Russia, more than 100; and Japan, 16. In all there are about 780 experiment stations in the world.
An address list of the agricultural experiment stations of the world is published annually by the Office of Experiment Stations, United States Department of Agriculture (Washington, D. C).
AGRICULTURAL LA′BORERS. See Labor Problem; Gangs, Agricultural.
AG′RICUL′TURE (tilling of land, Lat. agri, gen. of ager, field, + cultura, tilling, cultivation). In a broad sense of the word, the science and art of the production of all plants and animals useful to man. More or less intimately connected with agriculture itself has been the preparation of its products for man's use. Again,
