15? 



about successful dairy farming if you will follow the business methods in the 

 selection, in the feeding, in guarding the health and in marketing the dairy 

 products. 



As I look over this crowd, while I am not a mind reader, I think I can 

 tell what thought is uppermost in the mind of each and every individual 

 here. I think you are all wondering right now, as did a young lady who 

 visited our dairy farm not long ago. This young lady evidently had not 

 been raised upon a farm, especially on a dairy farm. She knew little about 

 the operation of milking. She walked around, she sized up some of the 

 boys who were milking the cows, and finally she said, "I can see it is a 

 simple process, I can see how it is done, but tell me, how do you shut it off?" 

 [Laughter.] 



I assure you I have enjoyed meeting with you. In case there are any 

 questions on the feeding that I can answer I will be glad to attempt it. If 

 I can't, probably there are some successful farmers who can. I thank you. 

 [Applause.] 



Q. How about grinding the corn for dairy cows? What would be the 

 value in that? 



PROF. KILDEE: In regard to the preparation of corn for dairy cows. 

 We find it does pay to crack the corn. We find it profitable, even at the pres- 

 ent prices of your corn and labor, to prepare it in that way, if the dairy cows 

 produce milk. On the other hand we found that dairy calves, from the time 

 they started eating grain up to the time they come into production, in the 

 case of heifers, they prefer and give better returns from the shelled corn 

 than they do from the ground corn. In the case of the dairy cow we found 

 the best results from the cracked corn. 



Q. In northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, the great dairy states 

 of this country, there is a great amount of milking machines. It is said that 

 the farmers are having a great deal of difficulty there in cleaning the milk- 

 ing tools, and if they are not improved we will have to reject the milking 

 machines. I want to ask if you expect the time to come when milking ma- 

 chines will be perfected? 



PROF. KILDEE: I would answer in the affirmative. I think there is 

 no question but that the milking machine is a factor of importance where we 

 get one that is properly constructed. 



Q. Would it pay at the present price of oats to haul it to town, pay 

 10 cents a bushel to have it ground, and' then take it back and feed it to the 

 cattle? 



PROF. KILDEE: No, at the present prices it would not pay, but I do 

 think that a small feed grinder is a mighty good investment upon the stock 

 farm. Where you don't have the power and grinder it would not pay. 



Q. Where hay is not plentiful would the feeding of more silage be 

 profitable? 



PROF. KILDEE: To dairy cattle? 



Q. Yes. 



PROF. KILDEE: Yes, sir. I believe it pays to feed more silage. In 

 fact at the present price of corn many of our farmers, and I know some of 

 the Illinois farmers, are refilling their silos with corn fodder. We find that 

 the silage is an excellent substitute for a part of the hay, simply an increase 

 in the silage to cover the dry matter required. 



PRESIDENT MANN: I think there is no question but what the dairy 

 cow is the most wonderful machinery in the world, the most wonderful 

 manufacturing plant in the world. What does she manufacture? Food; 

 milk. What is milk? First, it is lime water. Why? Because we need lime 

 water to build and maintain the bony structures. We need lime water to 

 preserve the proper reactions of the body. We need lime water as a pro- 

 tection against some of the things which injure us. And now they are 

 finding when cows have plenty of lime water they take care of that germ 

 of "T. B." in their system, take care of it there. Then the animal body must 

 have the proteins, perfect proteins, proteins which build every part of the 

 body tissues and maintain every part of the body tissues. I don't know 

 of any more perfect protein than that contained in milk. Then we must 



