FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 181 



Mr. Dansfortli. — AVhat do you regard as the proper temperature for the rising 

 of cream? 



Mr. Kedzie. — Fifty degrees. ' 



Mrs. James Murray read a short essay on " Farm Life," which was an earnest 

 plea for the young to be kept upon the farm. She said our youth needed that 

 kind of education whicli would make them love farm life, and that much could 

 be done in this direction by making home attractive. 



Following the reading of this paper, Mr. Tliompson said this question of 

 keeping boys upon the farm was one of great importance. The cities ai"e crowd- 

 ed and many are unable to find employment. At the newspaper offices com- 

 munications are constantly coming in from young people in the country, asking 

 what they can get to do in the city. He thought parents were often to blame 

 for this state of things. Not unfrequently they were in too great a hurry to 

 sell their farm and move into the village or city. Keep the farm — keep a home 

 for the children in the country, and make it such that they can love it. 



Prof. Fairchild thought that the youth of the country would not be so desir- 

 ous to leave the farm if the operations upon it were so conducted as to make 

 them more of an education and give more scope for thought. 



Prof. IngersoU said the farmer's home was frequently too void of proper 

 means of entertainment for the young. The desire to make money, to provide 

 for the future, made many a home unattractive. 



The following essay was read by Mr. E. F. Preston, of Sunfield, on 



DAIRYING FOR PROFIT. 



The late Mr. (Jreeley published a book some years ago, entitled " What I know 

 About Farming." Without presuming to rival Mr. Greeley in farm literature, 

 and confessing my inability to please you with a scientific disquisition upon the 

 bovine race and their products, I shall endeavor to confine myself to "what I 

 know about dairying," for profit, in Eaton county. 



That Eaton county is well adapted to dairy purposes is proven by the fact 

 that in order to grow good crops of cereals, the farmer is forced into an unceas- 

 ing war against the encroachments of June grass and white clover. I believe 

 that the time is soon coming when these grasses will be cultivated, instead of 

 expending the whole physical force of the county in a vain endeavor to exter- 

 minate them. Nature, and the experience of men upon heavy clay sub-soils in 

 other portions of the country, will sooner or later teach us something here in 

 Eaton county. 



Farmers of course have the right to groan over the heavy taxes imposed to 

 pay railroad bonds, and the generally low prices of farm products ! For instance : 

 Our Eaton county butter has been sold the past season at prices ranging from 

 6 to 14 cents per pound, and averaging less than 10 cents. 



Now there is a little matter connected with the low price we have received 

 for our dairy products that is not very pleasing. By carefully studying the re- 

 ports of the great butter markets of the country, we learn that other farmers, 

 in other localities, who make dairying a business, received the past season an 

 average price for their butter that nearly or quite doubled ours. 



The question presented is one of comparative loss and gain ; and the fact 

 that we are on the losing side in this comparison makes it somewhat distasteful. 

 No one will doubt for a moment that if, on the favored side of this comparison, 

 they have received double the price tliat we have received for our products, they 

 have obtained not less than $15 per cow more than we have realized. Now I 



