REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER. 15 



It has been my good fortune to obtain the record of several 

 transactions, made outside of New England, in which the sale of 

 fertilizer, brand for brand with the sale in Maine, showed a 

 decidedly less price for the territory outside of New England, 

 This should not be allowed and the next Legislature should 

 make it a part of the registration that people in Maine shall be 

 able to purchase their goods as cheaply as any state in the 

 Union, taking into consideration the freight differential. 



Active work in inspecting sardine factories along the coast 

 has been done by Mr. Soule, through his pure food man, Louis 

 Garcelon, in connection with the Federal inspector. These two 

 activities deserve special mention, besides the other numerous 

 inspections, including the inspection of drug stores, grass seed, 

 insecticides, fungicides, commercial feeding stuffs and the pure 

 food work, the inspection of which was conducted with its 

 usual vigor. 



SEED IMPROVEMENT WORK. 



The seed improvement work this year has been conducted by 

 the Assistant Dairy Inspector, E. A. Rogers of Brunswick. Mr| 

 Rogers has had lots of experience along this line and has proved 

 himself to be a very efficient man for this class of work. There 

 were between sixteen and seventeen hundred acres that were 

 inspected by Mr. Rogers and his assistants, and between twelve 

 and thirteen hundred that passed inspection. 



The corn, beans and oats were not entered in increased 

 acreage, as in the case of the potatoes. There were, however, 

 fields entered of corn, beans and oats. The work should be 

 conducted along lines that will make it possible to keep this 

 work going, inasmuch as the quality of the seed is one of the 

 determining factors whether the quantity planted yields a profit 

 or loss. 



DAIRY INSTRUCTOR. 



The dairy interests of the state have been under the direct 

 charge of J. H. Blanchard of Auburn, the Dairy Instructor. 

 Mr. Blanchard has taken a very lively interest in this subject 

 which, added to his consummate ability as an organizer and his 

 untiring work, has created a new interest in the keeping of live 



