P.D. 123. 13 



cattle once tested and found free of reactors. The waiting list is made up of 

 150 herds containing almost 2,400 cattle. This is an advance during the past year. 



Demonstration Sheep Farms. 



This year interest in sheep has been noticeably more active than for several 

 years. The price for early spring lamb has been attractive, as well as an ad- 

 vancing price for wool. 



The six Demonstration Sheep Farms report this keener interest. Seven hun- 

 dred and eighty-five people have called at the farms. Demonstrations have been 

 held at forty-eight different times, in shearing, castrating, docking, worm treat- 

 ment and disease diagnosis. Outside calls have been made by the farm managers 

 at five hundred and twenty-nine different times. These calls have been made to 

 assist sheep raisers with their problems. The shearing machines have been used 

 to clip even a greater number of s^ieep than before. 



Pure bred rams have been located for several grade flocks as well as better 

 rams for pure bred flocks. More calls have come in for assistance in locating 

 good grade sheep to establish new flocks. Much interest is apparent in running 

 flocks in orchards. More and more farmers are looking to sheep as an additional 

 side line to diversify their farming operations. 



The market for early spring lamb was unusually good and held out for a 

 longer period of time. This year more farmers raised lambs for the early mar- 

 ket. Reports indicate an increased supi^lv of this high qualitv lamb for the early 

 market of 1925. 



Again in 1924 the growers made up small pools of grease wool. These pools 

 totalled over 27,500 pounds. The sales made early in the year netted 38 cents to 

 the growers. Those who held for the advance received net at the farm, 53 cents 

 per pound. The all virgin wool blankets have been in good demand. The pur- 

 chasers are more than pleased with the quality and opportunity to buy direct 

 from the wool growers. 



Exhibits and Meetings. 



The exhibit at the Eastern States Exposition was a story of Massachusetts 

 Dair-s' Industry. The main building was devoted entirely to this special exhibit. 

 A large map showed the source of the milk supply for the several large cities. 

 Maps ond pictures told the story of the extent of the raising of ])ure bred dairy 

 animals. The imj^ortance of feeding leguminous roughage, fully matured en- 

 silage and a liberal amount of a balanced ration were clearly demonstrated with 

 charts and field specimens. The annual production of milk of a profitable cow 

 was shown by a pile of milk bottles with a line dividing off the point at which 

 the production of an average cow would come. Practical milk cooling devices 

 were shown in a small dairy house. A long mechanical exhibit portrayed the 

 various stages of milk from producer to consumer. In the center of the building 

 a model milk plant was in operation, showing the pasteurizing, cooling and 

 bottling of milk. An ice cream machine and storage room was shown. 



The mechanical exhibit from producer to consumer was also shown at the 

 Barre and Brockton Fairs. 



During the year twenty-seven meetings were attended, at seventeen of which 

 members of the division gave talks on agricultural subjects. Members of the 

 division have served on various committees of active agricultural organizations. 



Poultry Industry. 



Compared with industrial conditions in Massachusetts, our poultry industiy is 

 fairly prosperous, notwithstanding the fact that feed prices have ]>een gradually 

 on the increase from the beginning to the end of the year, while prices for live 

 poultry and eggs have averaged about the same as those for 1923. There have 

 been seasonal variations in the prices of both eggs and poultr\% but these have 

 not materially changed the general average. As a rule a decided and rapid in- 

 crease in feed prices causes some poultrymen to either cut down operations or 



