REPORT. ANNUAL MEETING, 1892 The annual meeting of the Maine Board of Agriculture was held at the office of the Board, in the State House, Augusta, January 20 and 21, 1892, in accordance with the statutes, and transacted the following business : The meeting was called to order by President McKeen at 11 o'clock in the forenoon and the published call for the meeting was read by the Secretary. On motion of the member from Sagadaboc, it was Voted, That a committee on credentials be appointed by the chair, and the following were appointed: F. S. Adams, Sagadahoc,, Committee Credentials. on This committee subsequently reported the following members qualified to seats on the Board: Theron B. Hunter, Strong. for Franklin county. J. B. Lowe, Readfield, for Kennebec county, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of H. O. Nickerson. Augustus W. Gilman, Foxcroft, for Piscataquis county. F. M. Thompson, Roque Bluffs, for Washington county, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Edward A. Moore. J. W. Greene, Bangor, for Penobscot county. Ira J. Porter, Houlton, for Aroostook county. Obidiah Gardner, Rockland, for Knox county. The report was accepted, and the members were duly elected for the time set against their names. On motion of the member from Cumberland, Voted, That 9.30 P. M., Thursday, be set apart for memorial services for deceased members. On motion of the member from Sagadahoc, Voted, That a committee be appointed, to receive, sort and count votes. E. W. Stetson of Lincoln, J. W. Greene of Penobscot, A. R. Smiley of Somerset, were appointed as such committee. The following officers were then unanimously elected: F. S. Adams, Bowdoin, Vice President. On motion of President M. C. Fernald, Orono, Voted, That the election of Secretary of the Board be postponed to Thursday morning, immediately after the memorial exercises. Proceeded to the election of Clerk, when G. M. Twitchell was unanimously elected. On motion of the member from Cumberland, Voted, That the chair appoint a committee on pay roll, and the following were appointed as such committee: W. H. Vinton, Gray, Ira J. Porter, Houlton, On motion of President M. C. Fernald, Voted, That the member from Cumberland cast the ballot of the Board for the President and Vice President, as Executive Committee, and the following were declared elected: B. F. Briggs, Auburn, F. S. Adams, Bowdoin. Adjourned to 2 o'clock P. M. Met according to adjournment, President Briggs in the chair. The first business was a paper by Professor Walter Balentine on "The Scope and Character of Institute Work." Prof. Balentine said: "When the secretary announced in the early autumn that the character of the institute work for the season was to be varied from that of previous years; that the institute was to become more a school of instruction in which all off hand practical talks on agricultural topics of special interest to the farmers in the locality where the meeting was held, should take the place of the set addresses of previous years, some of us were curious as to the results. After observing the work of the Board through the fall and winter I think we are safe in saying that though no radical change has taken place in the methods of conducting the institutes, there is a movement in the right direction. "By the old method the essayist was inclined to deal too much with general principles, and to spend too much time in covering ground already familiar to most farmers, while neglecting points of detail where help is most needed. By the plan recently adopted the aim has been to place speakers on the institute programme who have been especially successful in some special lines of work and to have them in an easy familiar way describe in detail just how their success has been attained, and the obstacles they have encountered and overcome. Liberty has been given to interrupt the speaker at any point for asking questions, and the farmer has thus been able to turn the discourse in directions in which he most needs information. I would by no means discourage the teaching of principles on which foundation all successful agriculture is based. Neither do I object to good solid theoretical instruction in the sciences related to agriculture for the institute is the only agricultural high school that is available to the majority of our farmers, but I do wish to commend the effort that has been made to introduce work of a more immediately practical character and to record the success attending these efforts." The speaker mentioned other practical features of the work that had been done at the institutes this fall and winter. During the fall there were called into the institute work in the State two men of national reputation, Professor Roberts of Cornell and T. B. Terry of Ohio; one to talk on dairy topics and the other on potato culture. This move has been heartily approved by some, and others have said let us have men from within the State, men who understand Maine soil, etc. There is a little feeling of State pride, which is well enough in its way but let us not carry State pride so far as to refuse to profit from the teachings of successful farmers in other states. Both of these men are known to be farmers who have made farming pay, and though not all that they may have said to us were applicable to our condition and surroundings, the men are rare in Maine who could have given us so much that we could have taken home and put into practice with greater certainty of being on the right track. As to the future of the Board the speaker said: "The one great problem that the people are figuring on everywhere, is to get the greatest return for greatest expenditure of energy and this is the problem that the Maine Board should and the Maine farm is solving " I was told in Aroostook county that yearling and two-year-old steers were selling this fall and winter, at $8 to $12 per head. Those steers at that age actually selling for less than good veal calves at six weeks old! The farmers raising these animals are not receiving much for the labor expended because the product is not finished. Those who have bought this young stock and fed it have been doing good business. It seems to me that the Board of Agriculture might do a good work by showing how this class of stock may be put upon the market in a form that shall command better returns to the farmer raising it. Of late the Board has given some attention to mutton sheep and the raising of lambs for the market. The average profit in the business can be greatly increased by teaching those engaged in it the demands of the market and how to market them. The Maine Experiment Station in its forthcoming report will show that it is not difficult to realize $40 per ton for grain fed to sheep and lambs in the value of lambs alone, to say nothing of the increased value of the sheep, and yet many sheep raisers are selling the grain for $20 to $30 per ton and feeding none to their sheep while carrying and suckling lambs. Let the Board of Agriculture push this work. Dairying has received already considerable attention from the Board, more perhaps than any other branch of farming. There is still much work that may be done on the old lines of care and feeding of animals, management of milk, butter making, etc. But it seems to me that while the products of one creamery are superior to those of another it would be worth while to investigate and compare the methods of manufacture at the different creameries and be able to suggest improvements so that the butter of the State as a whole might require a reputation that would give us better prices. I have no doubt but the introduction of cream and milk testers into creameries and paying for cream according to test would do much toward increasing their patronage. But there is another use to which the tests may be put, and that is in watching the buttermilk, and see how much butter fat is being lost in manufacturing. Is The cheese factories need more attention than do creameries. there much doubt that the cheese business is the best business for the dairymen for the summer months? I think there is not. There is no reason why our cheese factories should not be patrcnized as well as the creameries, except that as the work in the cheese factories has not reached the stage of perfection, as in the case of creameries. Our Secretary should inquire into these facts and lay them before the executive committee. It may be found that some of the money for institutes can be devoted to employing an expert cheese maker. Stock husbandry should be especially fostered. Prof. Balentine believed that practical men can be found in our own State to discuss these matters intelligently. He believed there is a tendency to cover too much ground in this institute work. There should be fewer subjects treated. A discussion followed by Messrs. McKeen of Oxford, Vinton of Cumberland, Adams of Sagadahoc, Porter of Aroostook, Greene of Penobscot, Lowe of Kennebec, Gilman of Piscataquis, President Fernald of the State College, Thompson of Washington, Prof. Balentine of the State College, Gardiner of Knox, Pease of York, Smiley of Somerset, and Hunter of Franklin. Adjourned to 9 30 Thursday, A. M. Met according to adjournment. Mr. J. W. Greene of Bangor presented a memorial and resolutions on the death of Mr. B. A. Burr, member from Penobscot. Mr. President and Gentlemen: I rise to present a few thoughts upon the death of Benjamin A. Burr, late an honored member of this Board, whose death occurred at his home in Bangor, April 22d, 1891. at the age of seventy years. To those who have known Mr. Burr as a member of this Board no extended eulogy of mine can add to your respect for his memory. Ever genial, quiet and unassuming in manner, yet possessed of sound judgment and a keen desire to benefit his fellowmen he was a valuable counsellor in all your deliberations and will be greatly missed. |