Address by Don J. Wood, Plainfield (N. Y.) at 



Bridgewater Institute. 



" Our success can only come from persistent effort intelligently 

 directed. If we are not receiving the returns from our dairies 

 which we think we ought to, we must find out the reason. Why 

 does neighbor A receive a check each month one-half larger than 

 mine, or perhaps neighbor B's is twice as large? Why? Do 

 not let us make excuses. Let us find out — why? It cannot he 

 that A's cows cat one-half more than mine or that B's eat twice 

 as much, for their farms do not produce one-half more, or twice 

 as much, as mine. Then, can it be that A and B understand 

 their business better than I do, and that they have better cows 

 for dairy purposes than I have. There is certainly nothing to 

 prevent my reading just as good dairy papers and books as my 

 neighbor or getting his advice about things he can do better than 

 I. I am willing to work just as hard as he does and I want just 

 as good wages. Any dairyman can subscribe to this declaration. 

 If anything I can say to-day may help such a dairyman to realize 

 his wish, I shall be pleased indeed. Our success does not come 

 by pushing others down, but we are more successful by helping 

 others to succeed. To be successful we must have faith in our 

 business, believing that every intelligent effort will be rewarded. 

 Others are successful; we will be. Then we must have cows 

 to work with, adapted to our locality and to the purposes for 

 which we keep our dairy. We must have faith in the breed 

 and in our own cows, based on an intelligent judgment. I do 

 not care to advise as to the breed for there are extra srood cows 

 in every dairy breed, but you must do your best to get as near 

 the top as it is possible. Do not think that I am advising yon 

 to breed only thoroughbred stock; I am not. But I do believe 

 that to bo successful you must stick to some direct line of breed- 

 ing. Uniformity in your cattle will appeal more to your pride 

 and ambition and. besides, constantly changing by crossing first 

 with one breed and then with another is altogether too risky 

 and is less likely to give superior results. Nearly every dairy 



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