ANNUAL ]\IEETING OF THE MAINE SEED IMPROVE- 

 MENT ASSOCIATION. 



City Hali,, Augusta, December 9 and 10, 19 10. 



The annual meeting of the Maine Seed Improvement Asso- 

 ciation, held at Augusta, Dec. 9 and 10, was opened on Friday 

 morning, December 9, at 10 o'clock, by President W. G. Hun- 

 tcn, who gave the following address. 



ANNUAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. 



When the call for all interested in raising better and purer 

 seed was issued by Dr. L. S. IMerrill last February; when that 

 little band of progressive farmers in response to that call assem- 

 bled at Waterville on January 25, 1910, and formed the Maine 

 Seed Improvement Association, they struck the key-note of a 

 long-felt want among the farmers of Maine. It is true that 

 many had for years practiced crude forms of selection for seed 

 purpose, and had waged war with impurity; but the general 

 appearance of the seed had principally governed their selection, 

 and those other and more vital principles of seed selection had 

 been an essential only to the extent that showed by its external 

 appearance. An appropriation of $3000, made by the Legisla- 

 ture of 1909, had made it possible for the introductory work of 

 this association to be supervised. 



The evidence of the sincerity of the members, and those 

 chosen to assist in having the foundations of the future work 

 properly and practically laid, are on exhibition at this meeting, 

 and speak louder than any spoken or written words of ours. 

 The encouragement offered the boys of Maine by Dr. Twitchell 



