DAIRY MEETING. 1 85 



of New England, and will stop an everlasting, useless, and 

 unceasing drain on what might be the most profitable line of 

 agriculture in this state. 



B. W. McKeen. I came here rather as a listener than to 

 make any remarks. However, as your president has seen fit 

 to invite me to say a few words, I take great pleasure in doing 

 so. The discussions of today, it seems to me, have turned 

 along very practical lines. I mean practical lines for the New 

 England and eastern farmer. The talk this morning, carrying 

 with it so much of thought, so much of observation, so much of 

 experience on the part of the speaker, must come home to every 

 ]\Iaine dairyman with a great deal of force. As a matter of 

 fact, friends, I believe it costs but little, if any, more to produce 

 clean milk that it does to produce dirty milk. In the New 

 Hampshire State Dairymen's meeting last year a great discus- 

 sion arose as to the necessity of the farmer's obtaining more 

 money for his milk because of the extra requirements of the 

 consumer, and very great stress was laid upon the fact that it 

 cost more to produce market milk today than to produce the 

 milk that would answer every purpose in the market years ago, 

 simply along the lines of cleanliness. In my judgment the 

 farmers are seriously in error when they reason in that way. 

 Let us see. One of the first requisites for clean milk is a clean 

 cow stable. A dairy cow will do better work for a longer 

 period of time in a clean stable than in a dirty, damp, dark one. 

 Consequently, is not the producing value of that cow increased 

 more than enough to pay for the extra trouble in keeping the 

 stable clean? It is the same along all the lines in connection 

 with the production of clean milk. 



I was very much pleased to hear my old friend, Dr. Smead, 

 speak as he did in relation to the treatment and handling of 

 the dairy cow. While, as some of you may know who are 

 readers of some of our papers, the Doctor and I have not 

 agreed on all the points he spoke of today, primarily we do 

 most absolutely agree. I believe we have fed too much one 

 sided rations. I believe we have looked to the production of 

 the udder, to the production of milk, and overlooked other 

 things in connection with the cow. I am more and more con- 

 vinced that while the development of the milking function of 

 our dairy cows is absolutely necessary, there are other and 



