DAIRY AXD SEED IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 261 



ments for this annual meeting. The committee appointed by the 

 executive committee to confer with the commissioner arranged 

 a plan something like this : That a small entry fee should be 

 charged for entering potatoes for inspection and certification, 

 the greater part of the expense being borne by the state; that 

 those who entered potatoes should make certain reports, those 

 reports returnable to the secretary of the association wno is 

 also in the department, and that records be kept of every visit 

 of the inspectors and of all the details connected with the work. 

 There were six inspectors domg certification work the past 

 year, including your secretary. They inspected about 225 farms 

 at least once, and a great many ot them three times. The total 

 number of acres of potatoes certified was 222. Total entries 

 were 579 acres. The varieties were largely Cobblers, next 

 Green Mountains, then Gold Coin, Pride, Red Bliss, Eureka, 

 and various others in smaller amounts. We also did some 

 work with grain. I have not tne exact figures with me, but I 

 think we certified the grain irom about 40 acres, perhaps a 

 trifle more. We are ready to say that the grain grown on those 

 40 acres or more is free from smut in this year's crop, that it 

 is true to type and of high yielding qualities, those three things 

 being the most important in the matter of grain. 



The total expense of inspecting the 579 acres entered for 

 potato inspection was approximately $1400. The small entry 

 fee which was charged amounted to $380, and the state has 

 borne the balance of the expense, some $1020 for doing this 

 certification work in the past year. 



We have looked into the matter of seed markets a little 

 during the year. We have talked and corresponded with many 

 of the managers of sweet corn factories, in regard to seed corn, 

 and we find that as soon as we are ready to produce corn 

 which we can guarantee they will take up with the use of Maine 

 grown seed corn for the factories in Maine. In fact, some of 

 the factories are already producing their own seed, — hiring 

 their patrons to grow seed for them according to a standard 

 which they set. And we have got to set a standard because 

 you and I might not have the same idea of what will cut best 

 for the factory, what will make the best appearance in the can. 

 We must make a standard for our factory corn taking into con- 

 sideration type and appearance in addition to the usual qualifi- 

 cations for good seed. \ 



