The independent-reporter., 1910-09-08
OUR STATE At HEAD
Of PROCESSION
Leads Work Improving
Dairy Industry
Maine Has Planned for the Future
Westerners for Today.

That Maine leads the procession SO
far as cooperative work for improv-
Ing the dairy industry goes, is the
opinion of Assistant Dairy Instructor
R. w. Redman of Corinna, who has
just returned from tour of observa-
ton through the states of Michigan
and Wisconsin and the Province of
Ontario. The methods here have all
the good features of those in the
places visited, and a good many not
in vogue there.
Mr.. Redman says that of course
there is much that is identical. This
is to be expected since the Maine
plans were laid after a careful study
Of conditions West, but the advance
since made here has not been dupli-
Gated there. One fundamental diff
ference seems to be that Maine has
carefully planned for the future,
while the Westerners have been con-
tent to meet just the conditions of to-
day.
In organizing the cow-testing asso-
Citations In the West the state author
tiles have simply taken charge of the
preliminaries, and then turned the
enterprise adrift. Meetings are held
only for the election of officers or the
formal transaction of other business.
The records kept by the official test
er benefit only the individual member
for whom they are made. This is In
marked contrast with the methods in
Maine.
Here all records are kept in tripli-
cate. One copy goes to the individual
member, one to the association, and
the third to the Department of Agri-
culture At Augusta these records
are carefully checked each month SO
that any errors or omissions are
promptly spotted. In this way the
work of the tester is kept right up
to the mark. But it is in holding the
monthly meetings that Maine has the
longest lead. Here the members get
together and compare their expert
ences in the light of accurate per-
formance records. This helps all to
adopt those ideas found good through
common experience, and is bringing
about marked progress. But best of
all is the spirit growing out of these
monthly conferences. Better ac-
quaintance, understanding, and es-
TEEN are paving the way for real busi-
ness cooperation such as the Won
der-working system of Denmark.
Mr.. Redman found comparisons of
the work by the cooperative breed
ers' associations equally favorable to
Maine. Those of the West are little
more than sales agencies. The mem
bers list such stock as they are offer
ing with the secretary, and then the
secretary does the advertising in the
name of the association. In this way
orders for car lots of stock can be
readily filled, and the financial results
are very satisfactory.
Maine dairymen have little surplus
stock at present. but what they have
will compare favorably with those
anywhere. AS the first step the asso-
Citations here have laid plans for pro-
ducing really superior stock in large
numbers. One association has already
raised the money and appointed a
committee to buy sire whose daugh-
ters have already proven great pro-
ducers. This animal will be kept in
the locality as long as may be desir-
able, others being added from time to
time as necessity dictates. In this
way valuable blood lines will be es-
tablished throughout the membership,
and the association will have the
same wide range for selection that
only very large herds now enjoy. Ta-
ken in connection with the work of
the cow-test associations this is
building on a sure foundation, and is
bound to make Maine mecca for
cow buyers with large rolls of long
green.