260 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
couragement of the dairy industry will stop this. When it is known that 
dairying can be made profitable on Iowa land at $100 to $150 per acre, and 
when our young men find by what method this can be accomplished, our 
farms will be reduced in size, our boys given profitable occupation at 
home and the profits from agriculture will be greatly increased through- 
out the state, through methods of intensified farming. Why should we 
wait until our soil is worn out, as is the case in many of the eastern 
states, before taking steps to stop this great waste of fertility and the 
consequent shrinkage in value of land that is sure to come. 
Every member of this association should go to his senator and repre- 
sentative and reason this matter out with him. The argument is all on 
your side. 
In Holland, Denmark and the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, lands 
are worth from $700 to $2,000 per acre. Yet these people sell their prod- 
ucts in the London market in competition with ours. If it were not for 
their advanced methods this could not be done. If this matter is properly 
presented to our legislators there is no question as to our success. They 
are not so blind to the interests of their constituents as to longer over- 
look an opportunity to invest a few thousand dollars that will bring 
results ten-fold in value to our state. 
In behalf of our people who, by long hours of hard confining work, are 
able to make an honest living, we appeal to you as men, asking for what 
we are entitled to by every right as loyal citizens and tax payers. 
The dairy sentiment in our state has increased ten-fold in the last 
five years. There are evidences of this on every hand. The number of 
silos built in the last year is a fair indication of the trend toward better 
conditions. It is estimated that forty per cent of our corn crop, which 
is the most valuable of any crop we have, or about $40,000,000 per year, 
has been wasted by husking and leaving the fodder in the field. We have 
contended for years that the silo is by far the best method of getting the 
full value out of this crop. After having used one for fifteen years we 
are sometimes amazed when we note how slow some of our progressive 
men are in taking advantage of the silo. 
The introduction of dairy sires, and, in many cases, the putting in of 
a few pure bred dairy cows will be sure to help bring up our average per 
cow, which was only recently 140 pounds per year. 
It should be remembered that, without improving our dairy herds, 
little progress can be hoped for. On the cow rests our whole dairy struc- 
ture. If each buttermaker in the state will use his influence with his 
patrons to have them test their cows, sell off the poor ones and then, by 
the introduction of pure bred dairy sires, grade up their herd, he will 
soon increase his output 33 1-3 per cent. 
The completion of the yearly record of Colantha 4th's Johanna of 1,200 
pounds of commercial butter and the records of several other high-class 
dairy cows, finished this year, are only further proof of what may be 
accomplished by breeding. 
The demand for high-classed grade dairy cows of the different dairy 
breeds continues unabated. There are not half enough of them to supply 
the needs of the country. The opportunity for making a profit in breeding 
this class of stock is most excellent; they are ready sale at prices ranging 
