DAIRY MEETING. I99 



Look at this picture drawn by Dean A. F. Woods of the 

 Minnesota Agricultural College at the Farmers' National Con- 

 gress last October, describing an inspection visit to a dairy 

 farmer: "The stable was airy and fairly well constructed. 

 It was clean and accommodated about 20 cows. The cows 

 were in the barn and appeared to be an average grade herd. 

 I said to my companion, 'Here is a man who is making money 

 out of his dairy.' We asked the owner what his cows aver- 

 aged and he replied, T don't know, F guess about 10 or 15 

 quarts.' We asked him how much butter fat? He did not 

 know. He never had his milk tested. We asked him his feed- 

 ing ration, but found that was indefinite and not measured, and 

 no account was taken of the weight of the cow or of the milk 

 she was giving. He had no silo and did not believe in silage. 

 He shipped his milk to the city and received an average price 

 for it. He did not know whether he made or lost on his dairy 

 operations. He never figured exactly. He doubted if he was 

 making very much." 



This problem of varying cost has an important bearing on 

 the question of what is a fair price to be received for milk. 

 A producer has no right to ask the public to pay him for un- 

 economical and unscientific methods. If one man can produce 

 milk at 3 cents a quart while it costs another man 7 cents, has 

 the latter any legitimate cause of complaint if the wholesale 

 price is fixed at 4 cents? 



In this discussion let us not be confused by the use of the 

 word "average." In the opening, I asked if the average dairy- 

 man is successful? Often he is not, in view of figures pre- 

 sented above as to the wide range in cost of keeping cows and 

 in their product. But that proves nothing against the busi- 

 ness. If only a small minority keep the cost of producing 

 milk down to where a profit can be made, no argument can be 

 drawn against the dairy business by reason of the failure of 

 the majority. 



Can a dairyman keep the cost of keeping a cow down, and 

 the amount of production up to a profitable point? I believe 

 many — some right in this audience — are doing it. 



Another subject of much interest growing out of recent 

 milk agitations is the attitude of many producers toward the 

 middlemen, and a failure to realize that there are legitimate 



