STATK DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 661 



Other way than in these meetings, where many are so directly interested 

 and are in such close touch as the dairymen and factory men. Whatever 

 affects one affects the other. Again, by this annual gathering we can 

 call to our help the best talent the country has, and thereby keep in 

 touch with the best dairy linowledge. 



While Indiana is not the largest State in the Union, there is no 

 State any better situated geographically. And I think I am safe in 

 saying that we grow as good grass or corn, wheat, oats and hay as can 

 be grown anywhere. Our watei- privileges are excellent. Our climate 

 is good. We have a large manufacturing and mining interest, hence 

 a good home market for a large amount of dairy products. We are 

 centrally located with good markets all around us, and our network 

 of railroads puts us in quick touch with the best markets of the country. 



There is no other line in the economy of the farm that is better 

 adapted to building up the fertility of the soil than the farm dairy, 

 by being able to feed all the grain and roughage and convert it into 

 a finished product. It takes but very little plant food with it. As a 

 result practically all the plant food is left on the farm to be used 

 to grow more crops to feed more cows. The conditions are near to 

 the "ideal farming." That is to farm forever on the same piece of 

 land and that land to get better each year. The increased productiveness 

 of our farms means better and more permanent improvements, better 

 fences, better barns, better houses, better cows, wear better clothes, 

 drive better horses, give our children a better education, build better 

 school houses and better churphes, and in fact help to meet all the 

 conditions to make better citizens. It is^a fact that when you strike 

 a dairy community the outward evidences of thrift are plain to be 

 seen on every hand, as I have indicated. 



We do not make as much butter and cheese as some States, but 

 statistics show that we are coming to the front. Over 90 per cent, of 

 the farms report sales of dairy products. We have about 105 working 

 creameries. The value of the cows kept for milk is $18,285,000. The 

 value of farm property devoted to the dairy is $28,181,000. The value 

 of our dairy products amounts to over fifteen and a half million dollars 

 per year. Now the present standing of the daiiy interests is very good. 

 We are making a lot of good butter; we are making a lot of tolerably 

 good butter, and a very large per cent, of poor butter. Are we going 

 to b& satisfied with the present conditions, and let well enough alone? 

 Or shall we strive to change these conditions, so that our output will 

 be a very large per cent, of good butter, and a very small per cent, of 

 the other two classes? 



In order to increase the dairy pi-oducts that our dairy interests may 

 grow not only in the number of pounds, but in an increase in price, it 

 is absolutely necessary to put upon the market a better quality. I 

 believe these two words, "bettei" quality," sound the keynote for the 



