P.D. 123. 9 



some by a much smaller margin than was generally expected. If the vote could 

 have been taken by area and not by population the result would have been 

 against the law because a much larger part of the area of the state was against 

 the law than for it. 



The Unity of Agricultural Organizations. 



During the year the tendency of all agricultural organizations in the state to 

 work closely together has become even more marked than in the past. These 

 organizations are more and more getting into the habit of asking and offering 

 help to one another, and are strengthening all their activities greatly thereby. It 

 is gratifying to know that the Department has been of marked assistance to 

 many of them by furnishing information and aid of various kinds and by acting 

 as headquarters for their contacts with other state agencies. The assistance pre- 

 viously received from the Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts 

 Chamber of Commerce, the Associated Industries and other non-agricultural 

 organizations has been continued. A number of local chambers of commerce co- 

 operated with the Department in arranging window displays of home-grown 

 apples in the various cities and large towns throughout the Commonwealth. 

 Several of these loca^ bodies sujiplemented the prizes oft'ered by the Department 

 for these displays with prizes of their own. 



In recent years it has been the practice of the leading agricultural organiza- 

 tions of the state to hold a meeting during the fall for the purpose of discussing 

 legislation likely to be offered at the next session of the General Court. This 

 practice was continued in 1924, the meeting being held at Worcester. These 

 meetings do not commit the organizations represented to any particular program, 

 but keep them infonned as to propositions likely to be presented at the coming 

 P*>sBion and as to the attitude of other agricultural organizations toward these 

 propositions. 



Legislation. 



The number and importance of legislative acts affecting agriculture which 

 were passed during the session of the General Court was rather less than in pre- 

 ceding years. The recommendations of the Department set forth in the annual 

 report for 1923 were all adopted substantially in the form in which they were 

 presented. The resulting acts (1) made important amendments to the apple 

 grading law, especially by extending some of the requirements of the law to 

 open ])ackages, (2) increased the authority of the Department to enforce the 

 law regarding substitutes for butter, (3) extended the period of use for un- 

 mai'ked milk cans and containers used in the purchase or sale of milk or cream 

 at wholesale until January 1, 1926, (4) authorized the completion of the drawings 

 for the report on birds of the Commonwealth and provided for the publication 

 and distribution of the first volume of this rejDort, and (5) made certain perfect- 

 ing amendments to the Reclamation Law, mainly to authorize proxy voting at 

 reclamation district meetings. 



Other important acts had to do with the following subjects: (1) the estab- 

 lishment of Penikese Island as a refuge and sanctuaiy for wild birds, (2) the 

 identification of cattle which have reacted to a tuberculin test, (3) restoration of 

 compensation by the Commonwealth vvhen cattle are killed where they are found 

 to be tuberculous by inspection and not by tuberculin test, (4) prohibiting ad- 

 mission of uninspected cattle to be used for dairy purposes, (5) providing for 

 registration of ice cream cans and containers, (6) authorizing the Department of 

 Public Health to make rules and regulations and establish standards for the pro- 

 duction, processing and sale of Grade "A" Milk, (7) providing for a referen- 

 dum on daylight saving. This act and the results of the vote taken under it have 

 already been described, (8) providing for the sale of the land and buildings at 

 the market garden field station at North Lexington and the reestablishment of 

 the station at Waltham, (9) authorizing the issuance of permits to hunt, catch or 

 kill iiiffed grouse in certain districts. This last act was passed as a result of 

 complaints of damage by ruffed grouse to fruit trees. 



