REPORT OF THfi COMMISSIONER. 13 



MARKETS. 



The Legislature of 1913 provided an appropriation of $3,000 

 to be expended under the direction of the Commissioner of Ag- 

 riculture to study the methods and cost of marketing farm 

 products and purchasing supplies. It is also provided that he 

 shall work in conjunction with the Farmers' Union of Maine, 

 the fruit growers' associations and other farm organizations, 

 and that he shall have authority to employ agents and experts. 



Under this Resolve C. E. Embree of Bangor was employed 

 to work in connection with the Farmers' Union and the vari- 

 ous local exchanges in this state. At the beginning of the 

 year there were sixteen local exchanges which had been organ- 

 ized during the preceding year. 



Mr. Embree has organized about as many more during the 

 year 1913 and the work seems to be in a prosperous condition. 

 Many of the exchanges are availing themselves of the advan- 

 tages of cooperation in buying their supplies and selling their 

 farm products. 



The detailed work of Mr. Embree will be found in his report 

 incorporated in this volume. 



BEEE. 



Considerable discussion is going on in the public press and 

 at boards of trade and other places, in regard to beef growing 

 in the state of ]\Iaine. This is due, no doubt, to the fact of 

 the high price. There are a few people in the state who have 

 the means and are in a position to engage in beef raising; and 

 1 have no doubt that they would be able to make it profitable. 

 It would, however, be unwise to induce men who are engaged 

 in the dain,' business to change this over to beef raising. A 

 man in the dairy business gets an income every day of the 

 year while a man in the beef business must have a large capital 

 and it is only after a number of years that he is able to receive 

 any income whatever. Xo doubt the time will come when 

 Maine will produce a much larger amount of beef than at tlie 

 present time and we 'believe there are some sections in which 

 men with sufficient capital could make the business prosperous 

 and profitable. 



