1 88 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



business; there are sections where no disease exists. Those 

 sections are very fortunate. But in some locahties where pure 

 blooded cattle were brought in from outside the State years ago 

 to breed for the dairy herds, the farmers were unfortunate 

 enough to bring in diseased animals. Among the pure blooded 

 cattle we found last year 20 per cent of diseased ones. This 

 year those cattle have practically all been retested, and I do not 

 think the per cent will exceed six. I want to say to the farmers 

 of this State that the Commissioners have their thumb on the 

 pure bred cattle, and the records show that we have made a 

 decided improvement in that line. That is the result of the new 

 law passed by the legislature two years ago. I do not know 

 but I am selfish and a little prejudiced, but I believe that the 

 purity and the health of our herds will compare well with any 

 state in New England. There were two towns in New Hamp- 

 shire this season that wanted to sell their milk in Portland, and 

 in order to do that they had to have their cows tested as though 

 they were owned in Maine. One of our men went there and 

 tested 500 cows and turned down 53, ten per cent. 



I think I can report to this Association that as far as tuber- 

 culosis is concerned, we stand as well if not better than any 

 other New England state. I want to emphasize that point. 



One thing in relation to feeding I heard spoken of by Dr. 

 Smead yesterday. We all know that grain is high this year, 

 higher than it has been for a number of years. If grain were 

 low we would not find much fault with buying it at the prices 

 we get for our product. Wheat middlings are $1.65 and cot- 

 tonseed about $1.60. I am paying $1.55 for it. I am feeding 

 now two bags of cottonseed and one bag of middlings mixed 

 together. Last winter I fed one bag of middlings, one of 

 gluten and one of corn meal. This winter I am buying cotton- 

 seed meal, as I think it is more economical. I have fed it for 

 •forty years and I am not afraid to feed it. I can feed it to my 

 cows without injuring them. I want to say right here that the 

 cows in the State of Maine are not fed as high as they ought 

 to be on the average. Some dairymen feed pretty well, others 

 do not feed as well as they ought to feed. I see a great many 

 herds all over the State and I think I know by the condition, by 

 the looks of those cattle, whether they have grain enough. I 

 have visited a place this morning where there are forty as good 



