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of a life-time. This industry, which has been con- 

 sidered a prosperous and growing one, is not making 

 the progress and growth that its importance demands. 

 The business is a very prominent one, especially in the 

 northern part of the state, and must necessarily always 

 remain so. The large cities must always look to the 

 country adjacent for their supplies of dairy products, 

 as a large part of them are too perishable to be carried 

 great distances. It is also one of the main sources to 

 which the farmers of Illinois must look for fertilizing 

 material to maintain the richness and fertility of their 

 lands. 



In years past when butter making was carried on en- 

 tirely on the farms, and almost entirely by the farmers' 

 wives and daughters, very much good butter was 

 made; that is, good butter according to the public 

 taste at that time; but since the advent of the 

 creamery, with its separators, cream ripening 

 vats, improved churns, butter workers, etc., a more 

 uniform and scientific method of making butter has 

 been the result, and a higher standard of excellence in 

 butter is demanded. The advance made in improved 

 methods of manufacturing dairy products has been 

 marvellous and has more than kept pace with the 

 growth of the industry. Yet there are thousands of 

 dairymen to-day in this state who are making butter 

 and selling to country stores for 8 and 10 cents per 

 pound less than choice butter is selling for in Chicago, 

 and all for a lack of knowledge of dairy breeds of cows, 

 of feeding the same and skill in manufacturing the 

 products ; that more than one-half of the cows of the 

 State of Illinois are being kept at an actual loss, none 

 who have studied the matter will deny. There is no 

 question but that a reversal of the existing state of 



