24 AGRlCUIvTURE OF MAINE. 



two new associations organized this year. I have attended 

 meetings of nearly all of these associations during the year. 

 They are of great benefit to the members. Every man in 

 Maine, who is breeding registered animals, should be a mem- 

 ber of one of these associations. There is a great call now for 

 pure bred animals. The farmers are interested as never before 

 to improve their stock by using pure bred bulls. It seems to m-^ 

 as though some plan could be worked out by the help of the 

 Maine Live Stock Breeders' Association so that more farmers 

 could get the benefits of these bulls. A certain number of 

 farmers could cooperate and buy a bull, or, if there were farm- 

 ers owning about i8o cows, they could be divided into blocks 

 with 60 cows each ; each block to purchase a bull and when one 

 block had used a bull for a few years, they could exchange 

 with another block. By this method, bulls would be kept 

 longer and if they were of merit, it would be discovered before 

 they went to the slaughterhouse. 



The dairymen of the state, with the exception of those in a 

 few localities, have been receiving very satisfactory prices the 

 past year for their product and I hear but very little criticism 

 on the part of the patrons of the creameries. The patrons on 

 their part must realize that in order for the creameries to hold 

 the markets and be able to pay the highest market price they 

 must furnish them with a good, clean product. 



In Washington County, the dairy business is not well de- 

 veloped. In a great part of the county they have no market 

 for butter except a short time in the winter and that is when 

 they are not making much butter. Last summer when the 

 dairymen of the rest of the state were receiving not less than 

 30 cents a pound for butter fat, the farmers in Washington 

 County were bartering their surplus butter at the stores for 21 

 and 22 cents a pound and it was not wanted at that price. 

 vSome of the farmers in Cherryfield started shipping their 

 cream to the Maine Creamery Company at Bangor, J. E. Mc- 

 Edwards, Manager. The result was very satisfactory and it 

 looks as though it would increase another year. I believe that 

 Washington County is destined to be quite a dairy county in 

 the near future. 



I visited ten fairs last fall. I am of the opinion that some 

 changes could be made for the better. First, I want to say, 



