190 AGRICULTURE OF' MAINE. 



REPORT OF STATE DAIRY INSTRUCTOR. 



To Hon. A. W. Gilman, Commissioner of Agriculture: 



I herewith submit my final report as Dairy Instructor, for the 

 three months ending March 31, 1907. 



It 'is with much regret that I submit my final report after four 

 years connection with your department, which has always been 

 pleasant and harmonious; a condition which has greatly aided 

 in making my work interesting and, I trust, profitable. 



When I began work this branch was entirely new, not only 

 to Maine but to all New England and our plans had to be made 

 from time to time, as necessity required, problems had to be 

 solved as they presented themselves, and in consequence, our 

 progress was necessarily slow. There was no definite plan for 

 improving the quality of Maine's dairy products, though all were 

 agreed that something was needed, because Maine butter had 

 received the condemnation of the marketmen and our sweet 

 cream creameries were receiving altogether too much defective 

 cream for them to pay the high prices and sustain the reputa- 

 tion of their product on the market. 



A serious feeling of distrust had sprung up in the minds of 

 the creamery patrons, many feeling that creameries were taking 

 undue advantage of their opportunity in determining the value 

 of their product by the Babcock test at the creamery. 



There was no concentrated effort on the part of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture to improve any of these, or to assist the 

 private dairy butter makers or the cheese makers of the State, 

 except what could be done by institute speakers on the lecture 

 platform, because there were no funds available for that 

 purpose. 



We had no law to prevent renovated butter being sold for 

 fresh creamery stock, nor was any department of State charged 

 with the enforcement of the law prohibiting the sale of oleo- 



