PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS. DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION. - - 469. Small Hill Reservoirs for Irrigation. — 470. Irrigation Experiments in Brandenburg, Germany. TILLAGE AND METHODS OF CULTIVATION. — 471. Field Records relating to Subsoil Water. 472. Experiments in Subsoiling at San Antonio, Texas. 473. Dry Farming. MANURES AND MANURING.- 474. Nitrogen-Enrichment of Soils, Clover as a Manurial Agent. 475. Effect of Sulphate of Ammonia on Phosphatic Manures for Oats. 476. The Soluble Silicic Acid in Basic Slag and its Influence upon the Determination of Citric-soluble Phos phoric Acid. — 477. The Value to Plants of Potash Derived from Felspars.- 478. Fertiliz- ing Action of Sulphur. 479. Relative Manurial Value of Nile Water and Sewage. 480. Manuring Experiments in German East Africa. 481. Soil Improvement near Rome. -- - b) SPECIAL - - AGRICULTURAL BOTANY.-CHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF PLANTS — 482. Causes affecting the Loss and the Retention of Water Vapour by Plants. 483. Effect upon Plants of Boron Compounds. 484. Solanum Chimeras. 485. On Some Vegetative Anomalies of Tri- folium pratense. - 486. Self Coloured Violet Seeds of Pisum arvense. - 487. Influence of Green Manuring upon Germination of Seeds SELECTION. 488. Effect of Fertility upon Variation and Correlation in Wheat. 489. Xenia in Wheat. 499. Heredity of a Maize Variation. — 491. Relation of Certain Ear Charac- teristics to Yield in Corn (Maize). 492. Production of New and Improved Varieties of Timothy. 493. The Seed-Farm at Schlanstedt, Germany. CEREAL AND PULSE CROPS. 494. Improvement of Indian Wheat. FORAGE CROPS, MEADOWS AND PASTURES. 499. Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) a New Fodder Plant. 500. Non-Perennial Medicagos. 501. Cultivation Experiments with Leguminous Forage Plants in Argentina. 502. Keeping Soft Cuttings Alive for FIBRE CROPS. 503. Fibre from Different Pickings of Egyptian Cotton. — 504. Durango Cotton - 517. Cuttings or Stumps for Planting Hevea. Iquitos and the Tributary Region. The Rubber District of the Amazon. - 519. Tobacco in Great Britain and Ireland. — 520. The Data obtained in 1911 respecting the Use of the Products of Crosses of Heavy-Leaved Species of Tobacco Resis. tant to Thielavia basicola. 521. Production and Consumption of Cocoa. 523. Winter Pruning of Stocks Preparatory to Grafting on the Spot. — 524.Variation of Yield of Grafted Vines with Age - 525. Vineyard Reconstitution and New nures for Fruit Trees. 531. Cultivation of Citrus Fruit in the Province of Salerno. 532. Citrus Fruit in Southern Rhodesia. 533. The Peach in the South East of France. - 534 Bartlett Pear Precooling and Storage Investigations. 535. Reine Claude Green Gage. 536. Cultivation of Japanese Medlar - 537. Condition of the Olive Groves in the Lepino-Pontine and Venafro Zones. - - 538. The Persian Walnut Industry of the United States. 539. The Exportation of Fruit from Portugal between 1906 and 1910. - 541. Rickets in Foals in West Flanders. 542. Disinfection of Hides and Skins containing Anthrax Spores. 543. Piroplasmosis in Sheep. ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. - 544. The Passage of the Albuminous Products of Digestion from ENCOURAGEMENT OF BREEDING. 546. The Drawing up and Printing of Pedigrees. 555. Influence of Alpine Grazing and Weather on the Milk Yield of Cows. - 556. Variations in the Composition and Properties of the Milk from the Individual Cow — 557. AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY AND IMPLEMENTS. 561. Trial of Bone Mills. 562. Abstracts of recently published Patent Specifications (England). — 563. New Patents (German Em- pire). 564. Traction Engines. — 565 "Case" Steam Traction Engine. — 566. Clearing Land from Tree Stumps by Means of Steam Plough. - 567. Certani's Subsoil Plough. 568. Tilling the Soil at One Operation. 569. New Machine for Extracting Sisal Hemp Fibre. 570. New Sampler. 571. The "May " Milking Machine. 577. Types of Farming in Relation to Distance from Market. - 578. The Sizes of Agricultural Holdings in England and Wales in 1912 579. Determining the Prices of Sugar Beets in France. - 580. Ten years' Returns of a Cherry Orchard in Holland. — 581. Prizes for Best Managed Small Holdings in Scotland. - 582. Dairying versus Fattening. 583 Rotations 584. Effect of Freezing upon the Composi 585. Composition of Ewes' Milk in Hungary. 586. The Lisbon Milk 587. Estimation of the Efficiency of Commercial Rennet. 588. Technique of the Manufacture of Parmesan cheese. 589. Thread-forming Lactic Acid Bacillus. — 590. Reactions for Distinguishing Fresh Milk from Boiled Milk. 591. Determination of the Fat Content of Milk. 592. The Money Value of Skimmed Milk. 593. Model Dairy at Riga. 594. Nursery Milk Establishment at Stendal, Germany. - 595. The Supply of the French Meat Market. 596 Pregnant Animals Slaughtered in Germany in 1913. INDUSTRIES DEPENDING ON PLANT PRODUCTS. 597. Studies of Wines. - 598. Effects of Transport upon Wines. 599. Crystalline Deposits in Wines. - 600 Removal of Acidity from Musts and Wines. - 601. Abnormal Musts and their Treatment. 602. Composition 603. Application of Artificial Cold to Food Pro- - 604. Manufacture of Nipa Alcohol in the Philippines - 605. The Content of Sol- uble Nitrogenous Substances, as a Criterion of Flour. 606. Chemical Composition of LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES FOR THE PROTECTION OF PLANTS. 608. Estab- lishment of a Danish Phytopathological Station for the Inspection of Plants destined for 610. The Germination of the Winter Spores of Plasmopara viticola. BACTERIAL AND FUNGOID DISEASES OF VARIOUS CROPS. 613. Rotting of Tomatoes caused by Phytobacter lycopersicum n. sp. 614. Parasitism of Gymnosporangium tremelloides on MEANS OF PREVENTION AND CONTROL. — 617. Cocobacillus Erausquinii sp. nov. on Romalea miles in Argentina. 618. Parasites of Insects attacking Sugar Cane. Thaumetopoea (Cnethocampa) herculeana Injurious to Low-growing Plants in the Neigh- bourhood of Tunis. 620. Phytalus smithi and other Insects Injurious to Sugar Cane in Mauritius. 621. Icerya purchasi damaging Tangerines and Lemons in Sicily. — 622. Notes on the Chief Insects affecting Forest Trees in Great Britain. 623. Chalcidids In- NB. The Intelligence contained in the present Bulletin has been taken exclusively from the books, periodicals, bulletins, and other publications which have reached the Library of the International Institute of Agriculture in Rome during the months of March and April 1913. The Bureau assumes no responsibility with regard to the opinions and the results of experiments FIRST PART. The Administrative Measures taken in Holland by F. B. LÖHNIS Inspector of Agriculture at the Hague. Whilst the measures adopted by the governments to further the breeding of horses are regulated by a special law (Law of 1901 on horse breeding), it is not the same with those for cattle. Already in 1809, under king Louis Napoleon, a law was enacted on the selection of bulls which forbade putting at the disposal of the public non-approved bulls, but it was not applied on account of the troublous times then prevailing. After the reestablishment of the independence of the country, ordinances were issued by the various provinces, with the encouragement of the Government, on the selection of bulls, but they were gradually abrogated because it was thought that the improvement of cattle might be safely entrusted to the farmers themselves. Under the influence of the agricultural crisis which was felt in Holland at the end of the nineteenth century, a change in public opinion took place by degrees, and the Governement was urged to abandon its passive attitude and to take in hand the agricultural interests. Several provincial administrations had already set the example. Thus North Brabant had re-introduced the compulsory approvation of bulls, with a system of bounties; the province of Limburg followed this example in 1890. The other provinces placed at the disposal of the administration subsidies to be granted to the best bulls. These precedents induced the Central Government to appropriate a sum of 30 000 florins (£ 2 500) in the 1897 budget, for the encouragement of cattle breeding. Since then the above sum has been gradually increased. At present the budget of the State includes every year appropriations for the following objects : a) Grants to associations possessing a herd-book. b) Grants to provincial commissions for the improvement of cattle. c) Nomination of experts in the matter of breeding. d) Institution of courses for the improvement of stables. A. The Herdbooks in Holland. There are two great associations in Holland which possess herd books; one is that of the Netherland Cattle Herdbook (Nederlandsch Rundveestamboek), and the other that of the Friesian Herdbook (Friesch Rundveestamboek). They receive every year from the Government grants of 15 000 florins (£1 250) and 7 000 florins (£ 583) respectively. There are also two other less important associations having mostly local interest and which are not in receipt of Government grants. The Netherland Cattle Herdbook dates back from 1873; it includes the three following: The Black-and-White Holland breed, the Brownand-White Yssel and the Black-Whitehead Groningen. To a certain extent this Herd book may be considered as the fusion of three separate herd books. A General Direction at the Hague issues the regulations to be followed by the three herd books. This federation aims at favouring the creation of breeding associations, by giving them the possibility of registering in the herd book, obliging them at the same time to submit their statutes, regulations and instructions for the keepers of the bulls and for the milk control assistants to the approval of the directors of the herd book. At the end of 1912, fifteen associations formed part of the Netherland Cattle Herdbook, and there is every reason to believe that this number will increase considerably in the future. The Friesian Herdbook dates from 1879. It deals only with Friesian cattle, and registers only the Black-and-White and Brown-andWhite Friesian animals. The Friesian Herdbook Association works in intimate touch with the provincial commission for the improvement of cattle. The central examinations of bulls are carried out by the Friesian Herdbook Association. The surveillance of the work of the milk control assistants, of the breeders'associations and of the control associations is effected by the Control Commission of the Friesiar. Herdbook Association, in which the milk expert of the province has a seat. In order to be entitled to a grant the bulls must be registered in the herdbook. The registers of the herd book already contair. 4151 bulls and 12 993 cows, or a total of 17 144 head. In the printed herdbook, the performances of the 6 500 cows under milk control are given; 31 Friesian breeders appear as having all their cattle registered in the herd book. B. Bounties granted by the Central Government to the Provincial The manner of using the government and provincial grants is settled by the << Regulation on government subsidies for cattle breeding ». The |