1894

Our Class Treasurer, Billy Ames, writes with his usual terseness and completeness from Vero Beach, Fla.: "Ben is better and things move on here as usual. Cold has killed lots of tender crops but has not harmed citrus."

Phil Marden writes informingly and philosophically:

"As for me, I have been found to have a mild case of incipient diabetes which restricts my diet and warrants a matutinal injection of insulin, but I feel fine and am outwardly much better than I have been. When the weather improves I shall be ready for a date to call on B Smalley....I have always been so well that being a semi-invalid comes hard. But after all, it might be a million times worse. At 82 you outgrow the idea that you are something extra-special."

"Bsmalley" (as he sometimes signs himself) and this writer keep in touch with each other by telephone rather than by letter. However, B has been using some of his leisure time in delving into pages 275-277 of the General Catalog of Dartmouth College and comes up with the following facts about the birth-years of '94 men: Of our 86 members, four were born in 1867, three of whom (Lovejoy, Gibbon and Cassin) are living; seven were born in 1868 with none living; eight in 1869, one (Ames) living; seventeen in 1870, three (Grover, B Smalley, Stone) living; 22 in 1871, one (Parker) living; eighteen in 1872, six (Bushee, Colby, Field, Hall, Knowlton, C C Merrill) living; eight in 1873, one (Welton) living; two in 1874, both (Marden, Martyn) living. Thank you, B.

All of which reminds this writer that in his December column he forgot to list the birthdays in 1956. As a result, Colby, Marden and Stone have already had their birthdays (January). C.C. Merrill, Parker and Field are having theirs this month of March. With these six men unavailable for timely remembrance, the story is for the rest of the year as follows: April 13, Hall; May 31, Lovejoy: June 4, Grover; June 29, Martyn; July 3, Ames; July 21, Bushee; August 14, Knowlton; October 10, Welton; October 16, Gibbon; October 20, Cassin; October 29, B Smalley.

Mrs Irving Read (formerly Mrs. Punch Rollins) writes: "My son Gene (Punch's son) seems to be much better and I think will overcome the trouble (cancer). This time last year looked very serious. I am grateful. The best of all good things to you."

Mrs. Fred Mudgett writes of the death of her sister with whom she has been living for the past ten years, but thinks she will be able to remain in the same house because it is likely to be bought by a grandson, whose wife Elaine has presented him with her first great grandson.

The following extract from Food Marketingin New England is pertinent here.

The Mudgett Herd

Vernon Mudgett, of Lancaster, president of the Massachusetts Guernsey Breeders Assn., has held the spotlight of the Guernsey cattle industry for a quarter century for a job of breeding that few dairymen in the United States can match. He has produced nine cows that have made either 100,000 pounds of milk or 5,000 pounds of butter, or both, during their lifetime. He has five of them in his present herd of 30 head. They're 12 or 14 years old and all but one are still going strong. He has also produced seven national class leaders, individuals that placed , among the first 10 in their classes. These were tested under Herd Improvement Registry, milking twice a day. Most of the records were made during the last four years....A son, Arthur, has followed his father as a graduate from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at Amherst and is back on the farm.

Secretary, 74 Kirkland St., Cambridge 38, Mass.

Treasurer, 60 Maple St., Sommersworth, N.H.

Bequest Chairman,