DAIRY AND SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 213 



In closing I wish particularly to mention the obligation which 

 we as dairymen owe to those connected with organized agri- 

 culture in this state: To the University of Maine and to the 

 Department of Agriculture in Augusta. Every dairyman in 

 the state is under direct obligation, first, to the Department of 

 Agriculture which these last two years has been watchful of 

 our interest ; and, as President of this organization, I wish to 

 thank Commissioner John A. Roberts and our Dairy Instructor, 

 Mr. Frank S. Adams for their constant and unflagging zeal in 

 their work for the improvement of dairying and agriculture in 

 general. 



I also wish to say a word in connection with our live stock 

 sanitar}^ department. I was one of those who were opposed to 

 the appointment of Dr. Joly, of Waterville, for this position at 

 the last Legislature. There is no office more important to the 

 dairymen of the state than that of live stock sanitary commis- 

 sioner. The property interests of every dairyman are practi- 

 cally in his hands. He has power to kill or quarantine any 

 diseased animals, and dairy animals can be shipped into the 

 state only by permission from him. Having opposed Dr. Joly 

 at his appointment as vigorously as I could, I wish now to do 

 him a duty which I owe him, and that is to say that I have 

 watched hisi entire administration and have had considerable 

 personal contact with him, and feel that his administration has 

 been the best that I have ever seen in this state. 



He has formulated very strict rules in regard to the shipment 

 of livestock, and rules which, until recently, have been rather 

 irksomic for me to follow. I want to say, however, that since 

 the outbreak of the hoof and mouth disease in our neighboring 

 states, I have come to respect the rules of our Sanitary Depart- 

 ment, and I feel that my herd is far safer under our strict sys- 

 tem than it would be in any other state in this Union. The foot 

 and mouth disease has not gained a hold here so far as I know, 

 and if it should, I believe the close personal contact which our 

 Sanitary Department has with the veterinaries all over the 

 state would enable them promptly to stamp out the disease 

 before it got a firm foothold within our state. 



Our thanks are also due to the University of Maine and to 

 its active Dean, Dr. Leon S. Merrill, at the head of that corps 

 of workers, which has done so much for us all, and which has 

 furnished energy and help for all our meetings. 



