12 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



The institute work of the year has been highly successful. A 

 large number of institutes have been held, several of them 

 continuing for two days. The orchard meeting at Auburn, the 

 second one to be held there, was highly successful in every way 

 and left a great impress on fruit growers present, encouraging 

 and enthusing them to better work in their orchards. 



A two days' potato meeting was held in Bangor early in the 

 year. Several speakers from out of the state were present, as 

 well as several of our own potato experts. This meeting was fol- 

 lowed by seven one-day meetings in Aroostook county. Four of 

 these were in the southern and central parts of the county and 

 three in the extreme north. As a rule, three sessions were held. 

 The attendance at many of these meetings w^as from 300 to 500 

 men. Great interest was manifested, due partly, no doubt, to 

 the discover}^ of powder^' scaib. 



During the late fall meetings were held at Newport, Augusta 

 and Auburn, in connection with the State Grange, the College 

 of Agriculture at Orono, and the Agricultural Committee of 

 the Boston Chamber of Commerce, to secure evidence on the 

 cost of producing a quart of milk. These meetings were well 

 attended. The Chamber of Commerce was to secure informa- 

 tion as to the cost of transportation of milk to Boston and also 

 the cost of distribution. The results of the investigation will 

 be published later. 



A few speakers at institutes have been brought in from other 

 states, but the larger number have been our own people who 

 have become experts in their several lines of work. It is pleas- 

 ant to say, and in accord with the fact, that Maine has a large 

 number of agricultural speakers who are the equal of any 

 brought from outside. 



A part of the institute appropriation has been used to send 

 speakers to meetings of granges or other organizations. At 

 these meetings the speakers have met larger audiences than at a 

 regular institute, as a rule, and the organization itself has been 

 strengthened. The number of persons attending meetings ad- 

 dressed by our speakers is about 40,000, as shown by records 

 kept. 



