DAIRY MEETING. I49 



SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS. 

 By Elmer E. Harris, Skowhegan. 



There was once a small boy who had already eaten quite a 

 dinner but he wanted a piece of pie. The pie went down all 

 right until it came to the crust, then he became tired and said 

 he didn't want any more dinner; but his mother made him eat 

 the crust, which was very much against his will. Perhaps you 

 may sympathize with the boy. The creamerymen's hour may 

 be the pie. I feel very much in place of the crust. I am on the 

 program and so I suppose you have got to hear me. 



When Brother Merrill, our worthy secretary, asked me to 

 address this meeting at the creamerymen's hour, I hesitated, 

 not because I wasn't interested, but because there are so many 

 who could have done better, and given you something that 

 would have been of more benefit to us all. 



After I consented to serve, he said he wanted the subject of 

 my paper as soon as possible. Now this was a hard thing for 

 me to do, — to select a subject to talk upon at the creamerymen's 

 hour of the Maine State Dair}'men's meeting; and yet it ought 

 not to be hard after so much has been said and done for the 

 dairy business of our State. 



I finally decided upon this, — "Seasonable Suggestions;" not 

 that I was in any way fitted to present these suggestions or ideas 

 where so much has already been said to advance our interests 

 and to lead us out into larger fields, but I believe that a mere 

 suggestion sometimes is the starting point of many reforms and 

 advances in any walk of life. 



In our various occupations when an obstacle stands in the 

 way, if we want to make progress we must set about to remove 

 that obstacle. In our highways the stumps and stones are 

 removed, the way is made as smooth and easy as is possible with 

 the means we have at hand. 



For the vessel that sails down the river, if it does not have a 

 good channel to run in, then one is provided, sometimes with 

 great expense, too. So it is with the housewives. They try- 

 to economize in time and strength in doing their work and are 

 not to blame either. 



