ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



the future, which, however, in many instances is not heeded 

 They are also careless because they feel the business does not 

 pay them. We can talk sentiment to a certain class and it will 

 have weight, but, its the "good hard dollars" that have the most 

 effect, and not getting them is largely their own fault. 



In this so-called dairy section of Illinois, which lies outside 

 the immediate Elgin district, how many farmers when they sell 

 a cow sells the best one? The one which will bring him the 

 most money, then, I venture to answer the question by saying 

 that nine out of ten will sell the best: what is the effect on his 

 profits ? 



I can refer you to Prof. Glover's statistics on the subject, 

 and to assure you this has been the preaching from Elgin right 

 along. I quote from the Elgin Gazette of 1865, now forty vears 

 old. 



Keep the Best Stock. 



Some farmers are in the habit of selling their best live stock 

 and keeping the poorest to breed from. This is bad management. 

 If a farmer has a good cow, she is worth as much to keep as to 

 sell. The same applies to all other stock. The rule should be, 

 keep the best and sell the poorest. 



We will illustrate a case as follows : 



Farmer A has a cow that gives 20 quarts of milk a day, 

 from which nine pounds of butter are made a week. One cow 

 he values at $80 and the other at S40. He sells the S s cow 

 and keeps the other for his own use. Xow let us see how the 

 account will stand, in regard to the profits of these cows. The 

 best cow produces nine pounds of butter a week, say from May 

 lst to December 1st — ?A) l / 2 weeks — 274^ pounds at 30 cents — 

 $82.35. 



The other cow produces in the same time, 122 pounds of 

 butter at 30 cents a pound — $36.60, which is S4.~».7o profit less 

 than the best cow affords. 



It costs, in this case, the same to feed each cow, and it is 

 safe to say that the advantage in keeping good cows over p >r 



