ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCHATION. 81 



close study of the matter for the past ten years, that the farmer 

 who is holding his own in the raising of farm products and who 

 is methodical in his ways and enterprising in all matters per- 

 taining to his business has made some money in dairying and is 

 still doing so. Of course it would useless to say, or predict, 

 that dairying even though carried on by all the latest and most 

 improved methods would prove to be a " Klondike" to any man. 

 In these days when the margins of profits in all lines are being 

 cut and trimmed so that in many lines of business it is becom- 

 ing more and more difficult to make ends meet. It is not sur- 

 prising that dairymen must suffer and do suffer. At the same 

 time there are many dairymen who to our knowledge have paid 

 off debts and even paid off mortgages on their farms, off the 

 product largely of their cows. Paid off on the installment plan 

 through the aid of building and loan associations. 



Certainly the farmer finds fault with the creamery man and ' 

 accuses him of robbing the farmer in many ways, but certain it 

 is if he had no market for his milk he would very soon come to 

 a realization of the fact that to him the loss of a milk market 

 would be a losing business. 



It must not for a moment be supposed by the city man or 

 those not acquainted with the details that the cash received 

 every month for the milk is the only source of revenue which 

 the dairyman receives from his cows. There are very many ways 

 by which he makes gains indirectly which largely assists in 

 making his balances appear on the right side of the ledger. 

 Take the milk business, depressed as it is at present, there is not 

 an animal on the farm which to-day can be turned into ready 

 cash on such short notice as the milk cow. 



To sell hogs at present prices they will not pay for their feed 

 bills. Horses are almost impossible to sell at anything like 

 remunerative prices. But, the farmer who wishes to sell from 

 one to ten cows any day, all he has to do is to let the fact be 

 known and the buyer immediately puts in an appearance. And 

 this fact must not be lost sight of in making up our estimates. 



Another fact which shows how the dairyman stands, the 

 merchants in his town are ready and willing to extend him a 



