32 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



to produce principally grain crops. Within a comparatively 

 few years, the fields of the East, where our forefathers 

 first settled, became depleted. They moved westward, seek- 

 ing virgin territory, and finding fertile planes and valleys, 

 they established new settlements. As their fields lost their 

 original fertility, the westward movement was renewed. 



"In this stage of our advancement, we can no longer 

 move to more promising locations. We must make the best 

 of what we have. And to do this, the proper management 

 of a farm herd, is one of the very best of means whereby 

 we may utilize the soil to produce a livelihood. 



"On your program, we find a very fitting slogan — 

 "Boost Dairying in Egypt — Ideally Adapted to the Indus- 

 try." That is just what we must do to see this section o5 

 the state continue to prosper. 



"This, the southern end of Illinois, in many ways, is 

 ideally adapted to the dairying industry. No other area 

 of like size, any where on the face of the earth, has as 

 many miles of railroad lines. In addition to these rail 

 facilities, we have, in Illinois, a system of improved, hard- 

 surfaced highways, forming an ever-increasing network, 

 which connects the farm homes with the cities, and, 

 coupled with the railroad lines, brings the markets of the 

 world to the door of the producer. 



"There are various agencies that have contributed of 

 their time and talent, toward the advancement of agricul- 

 ture, and the dairy industry in Illinois. Southern Illinois 

 has appreciated these efforts, and has been ready to accept 

 every opportunity whereby dairy farming may be made 

 more profitable. 



"Here, in the heart of Southern Illinois, at Carbondale, 

 in the Southern Illinois Teachers' College, you have, at 

 hand, a school of agriculture. This school, as it has been 

 developed under the able guidance of our good friend Prof. 

 R. E. Muckelroy, has been a great power for good. Its in- 

 fluence has played an important part in the advancement 

 of the farming industry in this section of the state. 



"There are countless other factors that have helped to 

 bring Illinois toward the front as a dairy production state. 



