386 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



their little portion of gold, and came to this, the greatest country in 

 the world. 



And why is it the greatest country in the world? It is the greatest 

 country in the world because people like them with their little hand 

 bags, their whole possessions, came here starving and in a short time be- 

 came proprietors. Because thousands upon thousands and millions upon 

 millions came here just as my pai-ents did with opportunities awaiting 

 them, which, attended by their labor and industry, enabled them to 

 build up the greatest country in the world. I mention this merely be- 

 cause I believe that we sho"uld remember this; their descendants should 

 keep it in mind at all times and appreciate this great country for if 

 we, like our ancestors, were confronted by famine and take our hand 

 bags to seek prosperity, whither would we go? We, too, should be appre- 

 ciative and we, too, should do our share in building up this great 

 country, the greatest country in the world. 



Now, then, let us turn to the subject about which I am to talk — 

 the cheese industry in Iowa. Everything which Mr. Van Pelt said about 

 dairying with reference to the buttermaker is all right; the improve- 

 ment in dairying and the development of the dairy farmer apply just 

 as much to the cheese industry as they do to butter making. Both are 

 interested in the dairy cow. It is true that the buttermaking industry 

 largely predominates at the present time but the cheese industry is 

 growing rapidly and whatever will work out to the benefit of the cream- 

 eryman in his relation to the patron will be equally valuable to the 

 cheese maker. 



I believe that Iowa has a great future as a cheese state and I will 

 tell you why. The two big cheese producing states of the Union have 

 been New York and Wisconsin. New York is gradually going out of 

 the making of cheese because New York and Brooklyn and the other 

 large cities of the state are calling more and more each year for milk 

 to supply their inhabitants and I confidently believe that within ten 

 years the supply of cheese from New York will amount to almost nothing, 

 because more milk is going to be needed for the cities and selling the 

 milk to the cities will be more profitable than selling it to the cheese 

 factories. Cheese making is going out in the northern portion of the 

 state of Illinois because milk is being shipped out of those places on 

 fast trains into the city of Chicago. I live in what I believe we may 

 well call the "Switzerland of America" — Allamakee county. There are 

 just a few creameries in that county for there are some places there 

 where it would be impracticable for them to build a creamery and the 

 farmers of that county have been suffering, not knowing where to 

 take their milk. 



I have been studying out in what manner those farmers could build 

 a condensed milk factory in the city of Waukon, but I found, upon 

 investigating that business, that it was a dangerous thing for an ordi- 

 nary man without experience, other than that of a lawyer to go into, 

 and since it would be unprofitable it would not benefit the farmers at 

 all. I went to a man in Wisconsin to see what he could suggest and he 



