ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 27 



going before building. Another cause is the low price of butter, and les- 

 sened profit, and the increased price of beef cattle, and the increased profit 

 in breeding them. The man who follows dairying as a business, will make 

 little if any change in the amount he produces. He has culled his herd, 

 and tries to make fewer cows, and less labor. 



It is the average farmer who supplies the bulk of the milk to the cream- 

 eries, the one who changes with the times, the one who raised hogs last 

 year, produced milk this year, and will raise beef cattle next year, that 

 needs to be looked after at the present time. 



The number of cows he keeps, his manner of keeping them, and the 

 profit he derives, is of importance to the state, and should properly have a 

 share of the consideration of this meeting. He is the mainstay of the 

 creamery, the supporter of the supply dealer, the country store keeper, and 

 is indispensable to many others. 



The time for making a profit on dairy products from any cow, on any 

 kind of feed, is past. 



The dairyman who is making money to whom we can point to as an ex- 

 ample for the average farmer to follow is not to be found in my section. 



The question of profit can and w ill be solved. The intelligent dairymen 

 are at work at it, and the experiment stations are helping him. The indus- 

 try is going to be on a surer, safer, and more scientific basis than it has, 

 ever been. 



In my township we have 154 farms, averaging a little more than 145 acres 

 each. 



On each farm is raised forty acres of corn, twenty-four acres of oats, and 

 one and one-half acres of wheat. This leaves eighty acres for hay, pas- 

 ture, timber, and waste land on each farm. 



There are twelve head of cattle to each farm, four of them being milk 

 cows. I Lave given these figures so that you may have some idea of what 

 the average farm is that I am talking about. I have taken the number of 

 farms and size from the county map, and the assessor in our township was 

 unusually careful in taking statistics, so that the figures I give are practi- 

 cally correct. 



