78 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



DOES DAIRYING PAY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS? 



W. K. LYONS, MARISSA, ILL. 



Dairying; in some form has existed in Southern IlHnois (in 

 this immediate vicinity, at least) almost since the first settle- 

 ment of the country. 



True it is that this form of industry in those early days was 

 beset with very many difficulties, chief of which was the exceed- 

 ingly low price to be obtained for the manufactured product of 

 the cow. The facilities at hand also were of the most crude 

 sort. Yet, notwithstanding all this, many a family was enabled 

 to lay well the foundation for a financial competency, very 

 largely as a result of their attention to the cow and her lacteal 

 product. 



In the days of our boyhood, back in the fifties, we recall 

 that there were families at that time who milked herds of eight 

 to a dozen cows and such families were usually thrifty and pros- 

 perous. Moreover, the churning was all done in the old fash- 

 ioned dasher churn. At that stage of the business, such a pro- 

 ceeding as keeping the cows in a barn, even during the milking 

 hour, was not even thought of, much less suggested. Milking 

 was done in the open lots after the calf had been allowed its 

 rations, and in very many instances under many trials and trib- 

 ulations of kicking cows, hooking cows and other misdemeanors 

 common to the more or less tamed bovine. 



Calves in that day and generation were not shipped to the 

 city butchers as at present. Neither had the system of feeding 

 the calf or raising by hand been introduced at that time. 



Marketing the manufactured product was also often beset 

 with difficulties and during the midsummer season it was often 

 impossible to obtain sale for the butter. In many cases the 

 butter was packed away and during the autumn season or late 

 in the fall a large portion of the summer make was carted to 

 the city and there bartered away to the more or less fault find- 

 ing grocer for winter supplies of sugar, coffee and other neces- 

 saries of life. Of course, with all the disadvantages and draw- 



