146 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



mendations of the committee appointed at the previous annual 

 meeting, to revise the method of election, were accepted. The 

 Federation then balloted directly on the nominations already 

 made, electing Walter Balentine. The tablet will be installea m 

 1917. 



In this connection, it seems appropriate to urge upon our 

 Association the importance of instructing its delegates for this 

 election and also in regard to any other business it wishes 

 brought before the meetings of the Federation. To be of the 

 greatest service to its members, the Federation must first know 

 their needs. The initiative lies with ourselves. 



As the time available for business was found altogether inade- 

 quate, it was moved and voted that the next annual meeting con- 

 sist of three sessions : Afternoon, evening and morning. 



At the evening session of the meeting, the principal topic for 

 discussion was: "The Method of Election of the Commissioner 

 of Agriculture." All seemed agreed that the election should be 

 taken out of politics, but no satisfactory plan for accomplishing 

 this was adduced. A discussion of "The Relation of the Vari- 

 ous Branches of Organized Agriculture to Each Other," fol- 

 lowed. Emphasis was laid upon the need of more cordial rela- 

 tions between our member organizations and a better under- 

 standing of our mutual aims. To be able to cooperate, we must 

 first know each other. That the Federation has accomplished 

 much in this field, no one who has followed its brief history can 

 doubt and here, we believe, lies one of its greatest opportunities 

 for present service. 



Respectfully submitted, 



H. M. Tucker. 

 Alton S. Pope, 



Delegates. 



Mr. Pope : I would like to say to the Association at this time 

 that I believe our delegates should be more definitely instructed. 

 Last spring we had thirty members at the meeting and only two 

 or three had any instructions from the associations they repre- 

 sented ; we had but little idea of what we were going to do or 

 how we were going to accomplish anything. 



The report of the delegates to the Maine Federation of Agri- 

 cultural Associations was accepted and approved. 



