TEACHING BY FARM TRAINS AND EDUCATIONAL 

 EXHIBITS AT FAIRS 



BY W. A. BROWN 



The most striking and important feature of the Modern Farming Special 

 train, which completed on June 25th a trip of over a thousand miles on the 

 railroads in Maine, was a demonstration of the fact that the farmers of 

 Maine are anxious and willing to learn what they can of the new methods 

 in Agriculture. 



All of the departments in the College of Agriculture were represented. 

 Three baggage cars and one flat car were used to carry the exhibits. One- 

 half of a 60-foot baggage car was placed at the disposal of the Poultry 

 Department. Three main lines of work were followed out : 1st a general 

 exhibit of material of interest to farmers and poultrymen, for instance, 

 models of different kinds of poultry houses, a Maine State curtain 

 front laying house, a curtain front colony house, a Tolman house, etc., 

 feed hoppers, nest boxes, egg sorting table, incubators and brooders in 

 operation, nest boxes for setting hens, appliances for fattening, killing, pack- 

 ing, and shipping poultry, and numerous charts giving ideal shapes of the 

 different breeds of poultry, and charts of the different methods of feeding, 

 etc. 2nd an exhibit of the instructional work in poultry carried on at the 

 University of Maine, showing by means of a series of enlarged photographs 

 the methods used in familiarizing students with the breeds, feeds, houses, 

 etc., on the college poultry plant. 3d an exhibit of charts and data 

 showing the need of further organization work in poultry in the state of 

 Maine. We have in Maine, as in many other states in the Union a large 

 and influential state poultry association but we have no organization at the 

 present time that will assist the poultrymen to grow a better article, to grow 

 that article more cheaply or that will help them find a better market for 

 that article. The state of Maine needs not only a Poultry Producers' 

 Association that would assist the poultrymen in the state in the growing 

 and marketing of their poultry, but one that would also have for its purpose 

 a collection of data on poultry matters such as the Cow Test Associations 

 are doing for the dairymen. 



The Experiment Station also kindly loaned a number of charts setting 

 forth the details of the breeding work they are doing with poultry and 

 also a complete set of the bulletins that they have for distribution. 

 These bulletins were framed and displayed in a prominent place and a book 

 and pencil placed near at hand where persons interested could leave their 

 names and addresses. 



