410 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



most potent factors in developing tliis work. Regular meetings 

 are held at various points throughout the counties. At these 

 meetings local dairymen and others give talks and read papers 

 on their experience. Everything concerning the cow is dis- 

 cussed and much practical information is gained. Through 

 these associations members will know the real value of their 

 stock and buyers will be found for their surplus. 



The dairy industry in Missouri has been greatly retarded 

 through the creamery promoter; his victims are many and well 

 distributed over the State. Creamery companies were organ- 

 ized and the promoter would build and equip the creamery for 

 $5,000 to $6,000 when $2,500 to $3,000 would have been a good 

 price for it. Little attention was paid to the number of cows 

 available for the creamery support, and the creamery failed for 

 lack of support and proper management. 



The creamery question can be solved through the county 

 association, and in any community where 500 or 600 cows are 

 available for the support of a creamery it will pay. 



We want to tell you of a recent trip through the dairy sec- 

 tion of Wisconsin and the development of the dairy industry in 

 that state in the past 25 years. 



The section devoted to dairying will take in but little more 

 than the southern half of the state, but they produce more than 

 48 per cent of all the cheese manufactured in the entire United 

 States, and their dairy products amount to $100,000,000 a year. 

 They have more than 1,000 creameries and about 2,000 cheese 

 factories. Ninety per cent of the farmers in the dairy section 

 of Wisconsin milk cows for profit and 75 per cent have silos. The 

 motto for all dairymen in that section is, "feeding, weeding and 

 breeding." The farmer grows his grasses and grain and feeds 

 it to his stock, not only making his profit from feeding what he 

 raises, but replenishes and fertilizes the soil at the same time. 

 He feeds his cows liberally and does not hestitate to buy any 

 milk-producing feed he does not raise. Large, substantial barns 

 give necessary protection to their cows during severe weather. 



Almost every farmer has his milk scales or belongs to a cow- 

 testing association, and knows exactly the number of pounds of 

 milk each cow gives. Many of them have their own testers and 

 test the quality of their milk, knowing exactly what each cow 

 is producing in butter fat and whether or not she is paying. 

 Where cow-testing associations are established one man is hired 

 to do the testing for all members of the associations. He visits 



