REPORT OF FIELD AGENT, SEED IMPROVEMENT 



WORK. 



To the Hon. J. P. Buckley, Commissioner of AgncuUurc, 



Augusta, Me. 



I respectfully submit herewith my first annual report as Field 

 Agent of the Plant and Seed Improvement Division of the 

 Maine State Department of Agriculture. 



When I assumed my duties on the 17th of June, the work of 

 this Division was in rather bad shape. The first thing to do 

 was to get things straightened out and find out just what should 

 [>e done. 



With this end in view I began at once to visit those farmers 

 interested in seed improvement and learn what they were doing, 

 had done and wanted to do. I called on 160 farmers at their 

 farms and of these I called on 36 a second time. 



In these visits I tried in every case to assist the farmers as 

 much as possible with advice and suggestions, on all lines and 

 kinds of farm work. As it was too late to do any real work in 

 seed selection I tried to bring to their attention the great value 

 of good seed and hope that I shall see the result of my visits 

 next year when the crop is put in. 



In the months of October and November, I made my second 

 visits to 36 of the farmers. I also attended the New England 

 Fruit Show at Portland where I saw several men interested in 

 the seed improvement work. At the New England Corn Show 

 in Boston I had the pleasure of meeting and getting acquainted 

 with several of the men interested in the question of seed im- 

 provement in rjtlier states of New England. 



December was taken up very largely with the meeting of 

 the Seed Improvement Association, the Maine State Grange 

 and the State Dairy Conference. Tlie time in between 

 was spent in attending Grange meetings and the writing of 

 reports, or other ofTice work. 



