REPORT OF DAIRY DIVISION. 21 



Official Tester, E. A. Markham of Norridgewock. 

 West Penobscot Dairy Testing Association : 



President, John Katen, Dexter, R. F. D. 



Secretary, Geo. H. Knowles, Dexter, R. F. D, 



Official Tester, Paul J. Fuller, Dexter. 

 Hebron, Alinot and Mechanic Falls Dairy Testing Associ- 

 ation : 



President, Chas. R. Alillett, West i\Iinot. 



Secretary, E. K. Holbrook, Mechanic Falls, R. F. D. 



Official Tester, G. E. MacGown, West Mino't. 



Official Tester, Walter S. Whitney, West Minot. 

 It is the plan of each of these associations to hold monthly 

 meetings on a regular day. At these meetings, the work of the 

 association is discussed, herd records are talked over and a 

 lecture by a representative of the Department is usually given. 

 The discussions at these meetings are particularly vigorous and 

 valuable. The association records furnish the members with 

 an invaluable local dairy text book. One association — the Ox- 

 ford County Association — has organized a class, using Lane's 

 book "The Business of Dairying" as a text book, and lessons 

 are reported on at each meeting. The majority of the members 

 also answer the correspondence questions furnished by the Ex- 

 tension Department, University of ]\laine. The work of these 

 associations in the local community can hardly be estimated. 

 One prominent member says of the ]\Iinot Association after 

 seven months' work, "The association has already raised the 

 standard of dairying in this community," When attending 

 meetings of associations that have been running more than a 

 year, one frequently hears the voluntary statement from the 

 members, "]\Iy cows are paying me more money than they did 

 last year." 



All of the associations have adopted some method of pur- 

 chasing their feeds co-operatively and are thus saving consider- 

 ably on them. Some of the associations have not only pur- 

 chased feeds but grass seed, making a considerable saving, and 

 by buying seeds from submitted samples which are tested for 

 germination, they have been able to get an extra good quality at 

 a reduced price. To fully luiderstand the value of the work to 

 the State, one needs to visit the associations and hear the mem- 

 bers talk for themselves. A report of some of the associations 



