414 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



It will be seen from the above that Milo Wiggins held the presidency 

 for one year, Geo. B. Horton for five years, E. N. Bates for four years, 

 Jas. N. McBride for three years, and E. A. Haven, the present incumbent, 

 for two years. 



E. A. Stowe was secretary and treasurer for seven years, Jas. Slocum 

 for seven months, and S. J. Wilson, the present incumbent, for a little 

 over seven years. 



About the time our association was organized, Davis and Eankin of 

 Chicago were putting in creameries all over the State at exorbitant prices 

 without any regard to their future success. The decided stand taken 

 against them by the association and its members soon drove them from 

 the State, but not until after they had succeeded in selling a great many 

 outfits, and erecting creameries where they have proved to be total fail- 

 ures. The idle creameries over the State are principally of their build- 

 ing, and are monuments to one of the greatest frauds ever perpetrated 

 upon the public. The failure of so many of these creameries gave the 

 dairy business in this State a hard blow, from which it has not fully 

 recovered. There is no doubt but what our association saved the farm- 

 ers thousands of dollars by exposing their methods and helping to drive 

 them from the State. 



The next important question that came before us was the adultera- 

 tion of butter and cheese. This was brought up at our third meeting. 

 Resolutions were passed asking for the necessary legislation to prevent 

 the same. Nothing was accomplished until just prior to the election 

 of 1896, when the oflScers and chairman of the legislative committee 

 secured pledges from the nominees of both parties that they would vote 

 for the anti-color law, or such a measure as our association would en- 

 dorse. Enough of the members kept the pledge so that the anti-color 

 bill was passed. But owing to an inexcusable blunder of the engrossing 

 clerk, the title of the bill was left off, and the law was declared invalid. 



At the fourth meeting the question of branding the cheese was dis- 

 cussed and referred to a committee, who reported at our fifth meeting, 

 the result of which was the passage of the law we now have in regard to 

 the branding cheese as full cream. 



In the year of 1880 or 1887 the secretary, Mr. Stowe, began to corre- 

 spond with some of the members, and to agitate through his paper the 

 question of securing what is now called the Dairy and Food Commission 

 and the laws relating thereto. No formal action was taken, however, 

 until our fifth meeting, when resolutions were passed and a memorial 

 was presented to the Senate and House, asking them to pass such a 

 measure. 



The agitation was kept up at each meeting thereafter, until the legis- 

 lature of 1893 finally granted our requests, by passing the pure food laws 

 and creating the office of Dairy and Food Commissioner. 



Tlu^ Michigan Dairymen's Association was the first to agitate this 

 question, and the creation of this office and the passage of the pure food 

 laws are largely due to its work. 



Thp association and the State Board of Agriculture have always worked 

 together to advance the dairy interests of the State, and when, in our 

 early history, we passed resolutions asking that more dairy instructions 

 be given at the college, they readily acceded to our requests by employ- 

 ing a professor well versed in this branch of agriculture, who has been 



