DAIRY AND SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 201 



REPORT OF VISITING MEMBER TO COLLEGE OF 



AGRICULTURE. 



To the Maine Dairymen's Association: 



Following my plan 'of last year, I made my visit during 

 Farmers' Week, last March. This annual short course in 

 Farming, or Farmers' Meeting, certainly improves from year 

 to year in attendance, and interest in the lectures and demon- 

 strations. Speaking from my own experience, I would say 

 that it would be for the interest of all the farmers, if possible, 

 to attend these meetings. 



I was somewhat like the small boy who went to the circus 

 where there were entertainments going on in three rings at the 

 same time; it was hard to tell where to go, as lectures and 

 demonstrations were going on in different rooms at the same 

 time. 



This shows the diversity of farming in [Maine, which cer- 

 tainly is a good advertisement for a state where so many 

 branches of farming can be carried on successfully. 



I decided that as I represented the Dairy Association, it 

 would be well for me to stay close to the cow. I visited the 

 stable and noticed the marked improvement in the herd for the 

 past few years. I recall a grade Holstein cow with a record 

 of over 15,000 pounds of milk and over 500 pounds of butter 

 fat. In connection with this I am pleased to say that the last 

 legislature made an appropriation of $5,000 for the purpose of 

 carrying on experimental work in stock breeding. At the 

 present time these experiments are well started. 



I then attended a meeting in one of the rooms and heard a 

 successful dairyman of Maine, E. C Patten of Topsham, 

 tell how he managed his farm for efficiency and economy. 



I was also much interested in a demonstration of stock judg- 

 ing in the Pavilion. One of the animals used was a Guernsey 



