EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 



95 



preparation of these conventions. So. T say, "Lonoc live 

 Secretary J\Iiles." 



I don't expect to win your applause for n\y wit. but I 

 will win your gratitude by taking- my seat. 



ToASTM ASTER Hale : We certainly appreciate what Mr. 

 Cosgrove says about our efficient secretary. Variety is worth 

 having and we have it here to-night. We have been honored 

 by hearing from the officers of several of the different State 

 organizations ; now I am going to ask Mr. Stadtmueller, of 

 the Sheep Breeders' Association, to speak to us. 



Mr. F. H. Stadtmueller: I did not ask the privilege 

 of the floor, but I expected to speak because I was sent an 

 invitation and a ticket of admission to the banquet free. 

 The only thing I regret is that I will not be able to deliver 

 full exchange for value received. 



In the past few months one of the popular themes of dis- 

 cussion has been the meetings of the commission on countrv 

 life appointed by President Roosevelt. This has brought to 

 utterance a number of facetious remarks : one to the eft'ect 

 that up in Vermont all that was needed was a better grade 

 of summer boarders, to which a man replied by relating a 

 story of a farmer who advertised for summer boarders, and 

 received a reply in which they asked whether there were 

 facilities for bathing. When the farmer and his wife talked 

 the matter over, they decided to write to the city folks tell- 

 ing them to "take a bath before they started.'' 



There is one phase of the question about the uplift of 

 New England farmers which it affords me great pleasure to 

 announce has been materially advanced by the action of the 

 Pomological Society, and through which action the Society 

 has set an example worthy of imitation of all other agricul- 

 tural societies in the State. It is the cardinal principle upon 

 which our future improvement hangs — that is. the matter of 

 organization and co-operation. Have you thought of the 

 sagacity that was displayed by this Society in handling the 

 peach crop of 1908? I don't know where the peaches all 

 went. I thought I was going to be able to buy large quan- 



