Vermont Dairymen's Association. 155 



is quite apparent in the dairy business. Go into almost any sec- 

 tion of the country and study the conditions in the various 

 creameries, and you will lind men there who are keeping herds 

 that produce possibly 300 pounds or more of butter per cow. In 

 the same community and on identically the same kind of land 

 you will find others who have herds that do not pay for their 

 keep. 



The great question is how to arouse the negligent dairyman 

 to action, to see their own opportunities. The frequent holding 

 of institutes and picnics, thus bringing the creamerymen and 

 creamery owners in direct contact with the patrons, — all have 

 their beneficial elfects. Some years ago I visited the farm of 

 the late E. D. Tilson, of Tilsonburg, Ontario, Canada, and in- 

 spected his famous herd of Holsteins and Holstein grades. Forty 

 of his cows had made an average of 450 lbs. of butter per cow. 

 This gentleman informed me that it was almost impossible for 

 him to convince his neighbors of the necessity of keeping good 

 cows and caring for them in such a manner as to produce the 

 best possible results, notwithstanding the great records made by 

 his cows. 



Two years ago I had a letter from Ex-Governor Hoard of 

 Wisconsin, stating that his herd of 30 Guernsey cows gave him 

 returns from the creamery alone, for butter fat sold within a 

 year, within a fraction of $70 per cow during that year. This 

 shows the result of intelligence. 



As Dr. J. G. Holland said: 



"We rise by the things that are under our feet, 

 By what we have mastered of good and gain, 

 By the pride deposed and passion slain. 

 And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet." 



It is not necessary for me tO' state that the cow is a more 

 economicctl producer than the ox, as this has been thoroughly 

 demonstrated, especially in the densely populated portions of 

 Europe where land is worth $400 or $500 per acre. We not 

 only find them dairying successfully but in some cases we find 

 them buying American grain for their cows, and meeting us in 

 competition with dairy products in the English market. Two of 

 the greatest friends that man possesses are the dog and the cow. 

 A man may fall so low that friends and relatives will desert him. 

 but his dog will stand by hini no matter how much he abuses 

 him, and he has been known to starve himself when protecting 

 the dead body of his master. The cow in the same way, no mat- 

 ter how poorly she is fed or how roughly she is treated, will 

 still yield milk and cream. She is the only animal that works 



