ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 17 



man to perfect himself in this work and enter upon a contract 

 to test dairy herds in his neig"hborhood, much to the profit of the 

 owners of the cows. He can make some money and at the same 

 time become a source of influence and benefit to his dairy com- 

 munity. I trust that our State Test Association may be establ- 

 ished' in some such manner and become thoroughly organized 

 in each County. There should be one or more efficient and 

 officialu cow tester in each county of this state. The officers of 

 this Association are ready to lend a helping hand in this very 

 important work. 



Buttermakers' Association. 



The butter makers of this state have formed an independent 

 organization. They held, in Chicago, last fall, a very enthus- 

 iastic meeting. Our interests are one and eventually we shall, 

 I hope, hold our meetings together. We wish them the best 

 of success in their good work. 



The State Fair. 



We have reason to be proud of our wonderful State Fair, but 

 especially of the magnificent show, of late years, of dairy cattle. 

 Under the wise supervision and untiring efforts of Supt. Hon.A. 

 O. Auten this department has grown by leaps and bounds 

 and now each year we have the greatest show of dairy cattle to 

 be seen in the entire country. The testing of dairy cows at the 

 State Fair has proved very beneficial and creates much interest. 

 Mr. Auten is to be commended for abolishing the barbarous and 

 misleading practice of ''bagging cows" before they are judged. 

 I recommend that this Association hold a meeting at the State 

 Fair next fall. We can have short programs for one or two 

 days in suitable quarters, near the dairy stables. Mr. Auten has 

 kindly volunteered to give us suitable space and lend us all the 

 assistance possible. Such a meeting would be very instructive 

 and we could meet some of the most prominent educators ana 

 successful men in the dairy business. 



We would have an unlimited number of dairy cattle as 

 specimens to work with and study. 



