Ill 



MR. FROST. But isn't that the modern tendency 

 west ? 



MR. BURRITT. It is ; and the modern tendency, right 

 np to date in the northwest, is to go busted in the orchard 

 business. (Laughter and applause). 



MR. FROST. That is what I wanted to get at. 



MR. BURRITT. I believe we should specialize, but we 

 ought to back it up with a general system of agriculture. I 

 believe in diversification ; I think that if there is one thing 

 New England needs more than another it is diversification 

 in our agriculture. Not that she hasn't it now, but she needs 

 this development along those lines rather than going into in- 

 tense specialization. I believe in a general system of farm- 

 ing.three or four good sources of income, with one good, 

 strong specialty. Push the specialty harder than anything 

 else you want to, but keep your other things behind you, be- 

 cause you can utilize your labor better, keep your machinery 

 at work on them, keep your capital doing business. I be- 

 lieve that is soimd business judgment. We can't judge al- 

 together from the western conditions just now, unless wc 

 analj'ze them very carefully. That is because their work 

 has been in a period of development. If I am not greatly 

 mistaken we will see many things going on in the west in 

 the next fifty or one hunlred years that have gone on in New 

 England in the past fifty. Not to the same extent, perhaps, 

 because they have our example to profit by and because their 

 land is more naturally tillable farm land than our eastern 

 land; but at the same time I think the lesson to be learned 

 not only for America but for European agriculture is that we 

 must have a good, strong, all-around system of farming, us- 

 ing system in its large sense, with a good strong specialty to 

 lead it. 



PRESIDENT FROST. It will now be necessary to 

 bring our discussion to a close. We have some general bus- 

 iness to bring up at this meeting. The Constitution calls for 

 an annual meeting in Worcester in March, at which time 

 most of the business will be carried on and the election of 



