DAIRY AND SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 239 



I have been thinking of this more or less for the last two 

 weeks becauSiC I had a letter from the blaster of the State 

 Grange saying that he was going to have a committee on the 

 cost of producing milk from the producer's standpoint and 

 that I was chairman of the committee. I have an idea what I 

 am going to say and I would like to have some backing from 

 the Maine Dairymen's Association. With that end in view I 

 would hke to have a committee appointed from the association 

 so that I could have a little conference with them before I go 

 home and find out how this matter shall be brought before the 

 State Grange. 



Mr. Beyer : There is a motion before the house that the 

 executive committee of the Dairymen's Association, with Mr. 

 Harris, form a committee with full power to act for this asso- 

 ciation in connection with the situation brought up by the 

 Boston Board of Health in the listing of undesirable producers 

 of milk in this state. 



Mr. \\^oods : I would like to make a motion to amend that 

 motion so that instead of giving the committee full powers to 

 act, they shall report at the next meeting of the Maine Dairy- 

 men's Association. 



Mr. Harris : It seems to me that it v/ould be unnecessary 

 to have such a committtee if this was the case. They could 

 not possibly accomplish anything for a year. 



Mr. McEdward : I feel that even if we make a mistake 

 we should do something and do it now. The matter could be 

 circulated around so that most of the dairymen who are inter- 

 ested would know about it. I think that nothing definite should 

 be done in regard to legislation. There is no need of that. W^e 

 cannot legislate a man to be clean. A gentleman spoke about 

 there not being any money in the business. I will say that I 

 have been way through the west and I find the State of Maine 

 pays more per pound of butter fat and gallon of milk than 

 any other state in the country. The price is now about $2.00 

 per hundred. It is up to the fanners to keep 12,000 pound 

 cows instead of 4.000 or 5,000. The great trouble is that they 

 do not keep the right kind of cows. 



Mr. Woods : The first people that would howl if every dairy- 

 man sold oft every cow that was not making a profit would be 

 the creamerymen. About half the cows would be sold. 



