262 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The time to commence this fight is right now — now, when the Legisla- 

 ture is about to go into session. Pass a resolution at this meeting asking 

 for this in a body — a body the largest of its kind of any like body in the 

 State. Then, when you go home from here, make it a point to go and 

 see your members of the Legislature and tell them what we want — what 

 we are going to insist on; and, if possible, get him on record before he 

 comes in contact with the influences that are opposing us. 



But let us examine for a short time the claims the dairy industry has 

 upon these legislators and the people; let us see if it is worthy of recog- 

 nition. Let us see if its magnitude is great enough to entitle it to any 

 special attention at the hands of our lawmaking body. According to the 

 report of the Secretary of Agriculture, the greatest wealth producing crop 

 we raise is corn, being valued at over $121,000,000 last year. The thanks 

 and the eternal gratitude of the farmers of the State are due to the 

 liberality of past Legislatures, whereby the Ames Agricultural College 

 was made possible; and a Professor Holden was brought into the State, 

 and furnished the funds to enable him to spread the doctrine of corn 

 breeding and corn culture broadcast throughout the State. It would seem 

 that the success attending the expenditure of money in this direction 

 would be an incentive to the carrying on of like experiments in other 

 lines, and that dairying, which promises so much, might be the recipient 

 of this attention. 



The next greatest crop we raise, in point of value, is our hay crop, 

 valued at $41,500,000; then comes the oat crop, worth over $36,500,000; 

 and then our dairy products, at over $30,000,000. The combined crops of 

 wheat, barley, rye, flax and potatoes only equals in value about half the 

 value of our dairy product. The egg values produced in the State is 

 about $10,000,000; poultry, $8,000,000. The total value of the fruit and 

 vegetable crops are over $9,000,000. 



It can be seen by these figures how great, in comparison, is the dairy 

 industry to other farm products, and what an important factor it is in the 

 wealth production in our State. But the $30,000,000 does not represent 

 the total income of the dairy industry by any means. We have over 

 1,315,000 cows in the State which annually give us over 1,315,000 calves, 

 worth at least another $3,000,000. Then we have the by-products in the 

 shape of skim milk and buttermilk, and at the price pork has been 

 selling for during the past year, is easily worth one-sixth of the butter 

 value, or $5,000,000, bringing the value of our dairy products up to over 

 $38,000,000, exceeded in value by only two products — corn and hay. 



Then, if it were possible for us to estimate the manurial value of the 

 dairy cow to the fertility of our soil, and subtract from the corn crop the 

 amount it owes to this fertility furnished by the dairy cow, we would 

 find, without any juggling of figures, that dairying is the greatest wealth 

 producing industry in the State; and it is this great wealth producing 

 industry that has gone time and again to our Legislature and asked for 

 the support to make it still greater, and have been refused. 



I am pleased to inform you that there has been a gain in the quantity 

 of butter made during the past year in the State; but whether there has 

 been any gain in that so much desired direction of quality is another ques- 

 tion. I believe, though, that progress is also being made in this as well 



