president's address. 



In the unparalleled victories in our war with Spain, our 

 State played a large part in national affairs. Admiral Dewey, 

 by his skill, courage and unerring judgment, has not only 

 immortalized his own name, but shed new lustre upon that 

 State, which, though small in area, has always been great in 

 achievements. 



It is with pride and pleasure that I stand before you 

 on this, the 29th anniversary of our Association, in this 

 gem town of our Green Mountain State, a town of world-wide 

 reputation for its manufactories, which enables the farmer to 

 know how many pounds of milk or butter his favorite cow will 

 produce, and whose goodly people have so generously provided 

 for our pleasure and comfort while here. Our mind goes back 

 this morning to the first meeting of this Association we ever 

 attended. It was held in this town, opening on January 23, 

 1884. Col. Mead was the president and Hon. O. M. Tinkham, 

 secretary. We were an attentive listener, but took no part in 

 the discussions, as speaking in public was something we were 

 too timid to attempt. We left here 3.20 P. M., with the ther- 

 mometer 30 degrees below zero, and the wind blowing furiously. 

 By taking our turn with the other passengers and trainmen 

 shoveling snow, we reached Morrisville, a distance of 40 miles, 

 in fourteen hours. We find, by referring to an old diary, that 

 we attended another meeting of this Association in this town 

 on January 19, 1887. We left Morrisville 4.30 A. M. with the 

 thermometer 40 degrees below zero, returning the same evening. 

 We came this year prepared for cold weather. 



LEGISLATION. 



This has been a year of unusual interest in our law-making 

 bodies. We are pleased to note that the legislative committee 

 appointed at our meeting one year ago, was successful in get- 

 ting enacted a law regulating the sale of concentrated commer- 

 cial feeding-stuffs. We believe this will be of material advan- 

 tage to the dairymen of our State. It will be a means of edu- 

 cation, causing farmers to study the value of protein and other 

 nutrients and will tend to close the door to frauds and adulter- 

 ations, and to keep from our markets by-products of inferior 

 value. Some ground was also gained towards establishing con- 

 fidence between creamery managers and patrons. A bill was 

 passed providing that every piece of Babcock apparatus used 

 for dividend making, shall be tested at our Agricultural College; 

 and that every operator shall have a State license. The post- 

 ing in every creamery, as now required by law, of the number 

 of pounds of milk received for that month, together with the 

 gain per cent from the churn and actual number of pounds of 



