162 Thirty-Sixth Annual Report of the 



THE NEXT IMPORTANT STEP. 



ED. H. WDBSTER, CHIEF DAIRY DIVISKW U. S. DEPARTMENT OE 

 AGRICUETURE, WASHINGTON, D. C. 



It is with a great deal of pleasure that I meet for the first 

 time with the Vermont dairymen in their annual association meet- 

 ing. This association ranks among the very best of similar asso- 

 ciations throughout the country, and you have won a reputation 

 for earnestness and good work that has extended far beyond the 

 borders of your State. The evidence of so many farmers present 

 at this meeting shows that this reputation has not been gained 

 without an effort being put forth to make this the best association 

 among dairymen in this country. 



The purpose of my coming here is to speak to you for a few 

 minutes along the line of improvement in Vermont. While Ver- 

 mont stands at the head, so far as the production per cow goes, 

 of any State in this Union, when we look at the figures and com- 

 pare them with what might be done I think that even Vermont 

 dairymen must feel that there is much yet to be done to raise 

 the general level of production per cow to where it should be. 



The work of your Professor Hills has been notable in the 

 study of dairy cows and the production of dairy products, and I 

 presume that a large percentage of the good work done in this 

 State has been through his initiative. He has urged the dairy 

 farmers to secure better stock, to use better methods in breeding 

 and feeding and has always stood for advancement along dairy 

 lines ; and the fact that the average production in this State is 

 175 pounds butter per year per cow, as compared with 125 for the 

 whole United States, shows actual results in the efforts that have 

 been put forth. The experiment Stations and workers in these 

 institutions throughout the country have all been doing much 

 towards the advancement of dairying, but a great proportion of 

 the effort has been spent on the manufacturing side of the dairy 

 industry rather than on the production. I feel that not enough 

 work has been done to encourage the farmer to produce more and 

 better milk, to breed better stock, and to grow cheaper feeds for 

 the production of milk on his own farm ; and I verily believe that 

 the next step in advance is going to be to organize the farmers 

 into societies or associations for mutual help along these lines. 



