REPORT OF STATE DAIRY INSTRUCTOR. 21 



because conditions are such that it is a profitable business. The 

 same is true of this state. You can find dairymen in this 

 state that are making a good Hving with ten dairy cows, which 

 can not possibly be done with ten beef cows. 



The natural conditions in Maine are favorable for dairying. 

 Maine is a grass state, — "Grass is King;" many varieties can be 

 grown in Maine. I want to quote John J. Ingalls tribute to 

 grass. 



"Grass is the forgiveness of nature ; her constant benediction. 

 Fields tramped with battle, saturated with blood, torn with the 

 ruts of cannons, grow green again with grass, and carnage i.; 

 forgotten. 



"Forests decay, harvests perish, flowers fade, but grass is 

 immortal. 



"Sown by *he winds, by wandering birds, it softens the rude 

 outlines of the world. It invades the solitudes of the deserts, 

 climbs. the inaccessible slopes of mountains, modifies climates 

 and determines the history, the character and the destiny of 

 nations. 



"It yields no fruit in earth or air, and yet, should its harvests 

 fail for a single year, famine would depopulate the earth." 



This grass that grows from our granite soils, when fed to 

 the dairy cow under favorable conditions, produces milk and 

 cream of a fine quality. There is plenty of pure water from 

 the springs and streams found in abundance all over Maine. 

 Then to supplement the grasses, crops can be grown in rotation, 

 like corn for the silo, oats, peas and the millets. It seems that 

 nature has done her part to make Maine one of the best dairy- 

 states in the country. 



To sum up, we have the markets at satisfactory prices, 

 have not so much to fear from competition with other farm 

 products, and can raise the feeds to produce milk and cream 

 of a fine quality. This being the case, it seems as though 

 farmers should have more courage and confidence and push 

 this branch of farming. 



I want to briefly state some of the reasons why farmers are 



. not making a success of dairying as they should and these are 



conditions that can be changed. First is the man. Some men 



have a genius for taking care of stock ; they are born cow men. 



Of course, they can make a success with less difficulty, but the 



