DAIRY, SEED IMPROVEMENT, STOCK BREEDERS MEETINGS. 339 



ADDRESS. 



Dr. J. A. Ness, President Maine Live Stock Breeders' 



Association. 



We are assembled here in the interest of and' for the promotion 

 of what I consider the most important branch of agricukure. 

 Agriculture is the nation's foundation. Prosperous agriculture 

 means more or less national prosperity Live stock farming 

 means permanent agriculture and is the cheapest possible way 

 of conserving soil fertility. The live stock industry in Maine, 

 1 believe, needs that promotion attendant with and the result of 

 hustling brainy workers interested in their business. 



The ever increasing population of our country is calling for 

 consumption, everything the Maine farmer can produce through 

 his live stock, whether it be that live stock for breeding pur- 

 poses for labor, the dairy products or the many other varied 

 lines of production. It may be said that the live stock indus- 

 try needs no encouragement at the present time of high prices, 

 and that this should be sufficient inducement to encourage the 

 farmer to increase his business. Good prices are no doubt an 

 incentive but will not do everything. 



Through this association we can assist by getting at the breed- 

 ers and encourage them to breed and raise more of the right 

 kind of high class animals for market purposes. We have men 

 in this state who have a knowledge of how to produce the best 

 so to bring the highest price on the market in any country, but 

 we do not have enough of them. We must get at the average 

 breeder and encourage him to beat the average. Tell him what 

 he already knows, that there is room at the top, or, in other 

 words, always a good market, someone waiting for the best and 

 those are the only ones we can afiford to raise. 



The West is calling for dairy stock and some one must 

 supply the demand. We in Maine should be doing our share. 

 Are we doing it? What are the conditions in Maine today? 



