ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 121 



realize what a contract lie is undertaking in attempting, singlehanded, to 

 change the market price of butter. As milk producers or cow owners our 

 time is about the same as wasted if it isi spent in wrangling over financial 

 problems. The milk or butter which every dairyman offers for sale ought 

 to be of a quality to bring the top market prices or he should know the rea- 

 son why. It does not cost any more to produce pure milk than dirty 

 milk, in so far as the cow is concerned, but as the question now under 

 discussion is, how to reduce the cost of milk, rather than how to improve 

 its quality, we will not digress at this point. 



Numberless illustrations can be cited to show how wealth has been 

 accumulated by saving the fraction of a cent per pound in many manu- 

 facturing processes. In creameries the amount charged patrons per pound 

 for making the butter has been considerably reduced since they began 

 operations about fifteen years ago; but what has the cow owner done 

 during this time to reduce the cost of producing a pound of milk? 



Many have given the question* a great deal of thought, and if they 

 have been successful in increasing the profit from their cows by reduc- 

 ing the cost of production, you will find that one important factor in 

 their success has been liberal feeding. When we come to realize that 60 

 per cent of all thati a cow can eat is required to keep her alive, and that a 

 holding back of any part of the remaining 40 per cent is increasing the 

 cost of what she does produce, then the cows will be fed all they can safely 

 eat. This is well understood by men who feed cows profitably. One way 

 they reduce the cost of production to a minimum is by giving the cows 

 plenty of feed. 



If a certain amount of feed will just about keep two cows alive and 

 nothing more for a year, the same amount given to one cow during the 

 same time will not only support her but cause her to produce enough more 

 milk than the two cows gave to pay for the feed and help towards sup- 

 porting the milker. Scant feeding increases the cost of the milk a cow 

 produces, just as a small fire under a boiler may make the water warm, 

 but unless it is sufficiently hot to generate steam the wheels will not go 

 round and the fuel is wasted. 



