384 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



of butter per animal that is now produced renders us any profit whatever, 

 practically every pound you can add to this is clear gain. It may take a 

 little extra feeding, but it is practically all profit. If it could be brought 

 up to six pounds per week I think at least two and one-half pounds would 

 be clear profit. Is it not possible to improve our dairy herds so as to 

 get more butter from our cows? 



I am not in a position to criticize your methods, but I often wonder if 

 you are looking at this question in a broad enough light. Last year we 

 produced more than three hundred million bushels of corn in the state 

 of Iowa. It is a great compliment to the soil of this state, but I am not 

 sure it shows the greatest wisdom. May we not be running too much in 

 one rut? Are we not paying too much attention to the raising of corn? 

 It is not the greatest thing to say we raised more bushels of corn this 

 year than last year unless we raised it on less ground. The business of 

 dairying serves to keep the things which improve the soil in the soil. 



I was glad that the man who just read the paper by. Prof McKay, 

 made reference to the fact that there are very few silos in this state. 

 When I travel through the Northeastern portions of the United States 

 and up into Canada I see 50 silos to where you see one or where you see 

 none in Iowa. It must mean something. It means that these people 

 must know that there is some benefit and some advantage in having sil- 

 age over the way we are feeding now. It is one of the things I think you 

 ought to study. 



I am trying to work up a little sentiment on another line and I know 

 of no people more interested in it than you dairymen — the question of 

 good roads. It means you can get your cream to your factories cheaper 

 and better if we have better roads. This means that your profits will be 

 larger and therefore you can pay more profits to the farmer. I don't 

 know just how we are going to bring good roads to Iowa, but I believe it 

 should be done by using the supplies we have at hand. I was talking 

 with the governor of New Hampshire recently and he told me that they 

 were building miles of macadam roads there, and that they were getting 

 their stone from Massachusetts and shipping it into the state for the pur- 

 pose of making roads. He said they had some in New Hampshire, but 

 they could get it cheaper and better from Massachusetts. If this can be 

 done in Iowa I think it would be a good plan, but I believe there is plenty 

 of good stone in Iowa, and I believe at least some of it should be on the 

 roads in the shape of macadam. 



I had a talk with a road enthusiast a short time ago who suggested 

 this idea to me. We have an appropriation to levy a four-mill road tax. 

 He advised taking a certain percentage of that and set it aside to be used 

 for dragging the roads everywhere after every rain. He said it could be 

 done for six or seven dollars a year per mile. I was talking with ex-Gov- 

 ernor Larrabee a few days ago and he said he thought that was too high. 

 He investigated a piece of road that is being kept in shape near his home 

 at Clermont and wrote me that eleven hours' work per year has served to 

 keep that road in condition. If we can put our roads in shape on three 

 mills on the dollar and keep them in shape on one mill on the dollar, it 

 would certainly be an improvement worth while. The soil is such that 



