The work in the spread of experiment stations proceeded 

 slowly. Thirty-five years ago this winter the Connecticut legis- 

 lature passed an act which established the first agricultural 

 experiment station in America. 



Twenty-five years ago this winter the Maine legislature 

 established the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station and 

 Fertilizer Control. This act was signed by Governor Fred- 

 erick A. Robie the third day of March, 1885, so that it is now 

 six days beyond the day when the Maine Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station was really 25 years old. 



It has seemed to us fitting that we should celebrate this very 

 important event by calling some attention to those earlier days. 

 So much is going, on, so fast is the world moving, that it is 

 very easy to forget the beginnings, small though they were, 

 which have been leading up to the improved agricultural con- 

 ditions of this State and the whole country as the result of this 

 great experiment station movement. 



We hoped that Governor Robie might possibly be with us, 

 though with his advancing years we had very little actual ex- 

 pectation. We had thought that Governor Fernald would be 

 with us also, but at the last he was prevented. He has, how- 

 ever, sent his private secretary to speak to us on this occasion. 

 I take pleasure in introducing Mr. Kendall L. Dunbar, Private 

 Secretary to His Excellency. 



Remarks by Ki;NDALiv L. Dunbar, Private Secretary to 

 THE Governor. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: — The Governor told 

 mie this was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Experinient 

 Station and I allowed that that was probably the reason that 

 he was sending me over here to speak to you — somewhat in the 

 nature of an experiment. I wish to state, however, that it was 

 imperative for the Governor to be elsewhere today. 



A Governor, I find upon more or less close association with 

 one, is expected to know all about everything that comes along. 

 He must be ready on tap to talk learnedly about the past and 

 present, of theology, law, commerce, education, farming, poli- 

 tics, the rights of women and the wrongs of men, and other 

 live subjects, as well as some which, no doubt, he wishes were 

 dead and buried. These are some of the things that a Gov- 

 ernor is supposed to know, and more than that, at his peril to 



