No. 4.] POULTRY KEEPING. 119 



Mr. John II. Robinson. I want to talk to you about the 

 recentl}^ organized Massachusetts State Poultry Association, 

 of which I happen to be secretary. The association was or- 

 ganized at a meeting at the office of the State Board of Agri- 

 culture last April. We organized the State by districts, be- 

 cause we felt that we could better reach the people in that way, 

 and could equalize the expense, helping the weaker districts by 

 support from the stronger. We divided the State into twelve 

 districts, which to some extent follow the county lines, more 

 so in the western part of the State than in the eastern. The 

 districts that are well organized are the third district, south 

 of Boston, the Boston district, the Fitchburg district, and that 

 about Northampton. We have organizations in some of the 

 others, but not strong ones. We have in all about 170 mem- 

 bers at present. We expect, by the time we have been in ex- 

 istence a year, to have about 500 members. 



Mr. Davenport made the statement that Massachusetts is 

 importing about $17,000,000 worth of poultry a year. We 

 cannot get the figures exactly, but it is probable that we are 

 importing nearer $25,000,000 worth a year, and Massachu- 

 setts is producing less than $0,000,000 worth per year of poul- 

 try and eggs. The object of our association is to build up this 

 industry in e^'ery way possible, but especially by educational 

 means. We want to see the unproductive land of Massachu- 

 setts utilized, and much of it could be used to advantage in 

 poultry raising. First, we want to influence legislation in the 

 interests of poultry. We want a poultry course at the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College. We are from two to twelve 

 years behind many other States and Canadian provinces in 

 this line of educational work. Some of us tried to get such a 

 course established last year, but there were other things that 

 came first. This year we are going to ask again, and ask for 

 a larger appropriation, with a definite plan, and make a strong 

 effort to put poultry education where it should be in Massa- 

 chusetts. We want the experiment station to take up some of 

 the problems interesting to poultrymen, and help to solve 

 them. There is a great field for the association to work in, 

 and we would like to have as many as possible of the people 



