320 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



beef production, they did not sell off all their cows and buy new ones, but 

 built up their herds by using good dairy sires. In many cases the farm- 

 ers of a community clubbed together and brought in good sires. It is 

 needless for me to say that the results obtained in that country showed 

 the wisdom of their course. 



We do not need to go to Europe to find the possibilities of good dairy- 

 ing, as we have herds in this state that are making from 300 to 400 

 pounds of butter per cow, but these men are following up-to-date, in- 

 telligent dairy methods. Mr. Gillett of Rosendale, Wisconsin, told me a 

 few weeks ago that one of his famous Holstein cows would give over 

 1,000 pounds butter fat in ten months, thus breaking all previous records, 

 and he has a number of other cows in his herd making marvelous records. 

 This is only one instance of the many that I might quote showing the 

 effect of intelligent feeding, breeding and caring for a herd. While we 

 boast of the great dairy resources of our state, it must be admitted, to 

 our shame, that our state has done less to aid the dairy association in 

 developing the dairy resources of our state than any state in the union, 

 that makes any pretense of dairying. The chief reason that this con- 

 vention is held in Des Moines, outside of the fact that it is an ideal city 

 for such a purpose, is that your commercial club was able to aid the dairy 

 association financially, thus making it possible to hold such a meeting. 

 This organization depends entirely on charity, or contributions from the 

 public. Our secretary is actually compelled to seek aid from the com- 

 mission men of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities and the 

 supply men of the country, to furnish him with sufficient funds to hold 

 a convention in the state of Iowa. Practically all our neighboring states 

 are receiving from $1,500 to $2,500 per year and this enables them to 

 rent halls, take in speakers from other states and to give premiums with- 

 out compelling makers to contribute a tub of butter if they wish to 

 exhibit. This association should be in a position to hold one or two meet- 

 ings every year and to hold them" in parts of the state where they would 

 do the most good, regardless of the population or contributions that might 

 come from any city. An organization that represents at least $40,000,000 

 annually should not be an object of charity. 



I am not a politician in any sense of the term, but I would say that if 

 the dairymen expect to get aid like other states have they will have to 

 organize in every county where dairying is carried on, and not only or- 

 ganize, but let their wants be known to their representative. The lack 

 of organization is manifested everywhere among dairymen. When the 

 present dairy standards in the new pure food bill were prepared it was 

 not considered necessary to consult a dairyman of the United States. 

 A few chemists got together and formulated the present standards. If 

 such standards had been enforced it would have meant a loss of hundreds 

 of thousands of dollars to this state alone. State Dairy Commissioner 

 Wright, with a few others and myself, had the temerity to go down to 

 Washington and enter our protest to Secretary Wilson against the en- 

 forcement of such an unreasonable standard. It^ is a good thing for the 

 farmers of this country and the dairymen, especially, that we have such 

 a broad, liberal-minded statesman holding the chair of secretary of agri- 



