204 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. As is known to 

 all members of this association such an appropriation was made 

 by the last legislature. 



At this time the committee wishes formally to express its 

 thanks to the members of this association for the aid which 

 they rendered in properly placing this matter before the legis- 

 lature. The committee also wishes to express its appreciation 

 of the interest and help given in this movement by many other 

 organizations and individuals throughout the state, including 

 particularly the Portland Board of Trade, the Portland Farm- 

 ers' Club and other similar bodies. 



II. PROGRESS. 



Immediately after the appropriation was made by the legis- 

 lature, active work on the project was begun at the Experi- 

 ment Station. Owing to the fact that the undertaking of this 

 rew work involved a considerable increase of staff, the moving 

 of the biological laboratory into new and enlarged quarters, 

 etc., most of the time and energy during the first months were 

 taken up in purely administrative matters connected with get- 

 ting the investigation started on a sound basis. This prelimi- 

 nary organization work is now practically completed and the 

 investigations are moving forward along definite and well co- 

 ordinated lines. The work being done under the appropriation 

 i? organized under four general lines as follows : 



I. The study and analysis of existing milk records, in order 

 to find out the normal laivs of variation in different breeds of 

 cattle in regard to the production of milk and butter fat. 



This work is necessary as a preliminary to any exact scienti- 

 fic study of the inheritance of milk production. To mention 

 specifically but one point here, — it is absolutely necessary that 

 any milk record be subjected to a correction to take account 

 of the age of the cow at the time when the record was made. 

 In order to make a scientifically accurate correction for age 

 it is necessary to study thoroughly the laws which relate 

 niilk and fat production to the age of the cow. On this par- 

 ticular phase of the problem it is expected that one or more 

 bulletins will be issued during the next calendar year. 



