THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. 57 



the Republican members of the committee gave a woman's rea- 

 son ''because" and the minority or the Democratic members 

 said it was the tariff. It makes me think of Champ Clark's 

 story about the tariff. It was about the horse thief who was 

 hung to a tree out West and a card was placed on the body which 

 read, ''This man in some respects is a mighty mean man and a 

 damned sight meaner in others." 



Now I believe firmly what I told you to start with, that we 

 are facing a critical position in the dairy industry of this coun- 

 try. T do not believe that the people would not be willing to 

 pay for butter if it was fine enough, but it has been refused 

 simply because of the quality of the great bulk of it. But I be- 

 lieve this, that we must look to quality, and that applies to you 

 in this great Elgin district. 



If I was going to urge one thing upon you today above an- 

 other I would urge better cows. Now I think that with you 

 this should be the first consideration. I do not believe that you 

 are paying enough attention to the cost of production. You do 

 not know enough about what you are doing. You have not got 

 that important part of the question down to the point you ought 

 lo have it. You do not pay enough attention to the kind of cows 

 you have. 



You do not appreciate the possibilities of the true dairy 

 cow. I believe today that in the breeding and in the feeding of 

 this animal we are merely scratching the surface in knowledge; 

 we do not know what is possible. 



In Illinois and also Iowa the average amount of butter fat 

 per cow is only 140 pounds. It is no wonder that men throug- 

 out Iowa as well as this state can see no profit in dairying. Con- 

 trast this with a cow in Wisconsin that, by intelligent breeding 

 and intelligent feeding, produced a thousand pounds of butter 

 fat per year. Think of the difference. Both cows looked alike 

 ill a certain way. They were both cows. But think of the av- 

 erage cow of the state of Iowa only producing one hundred and 

 forty pounds and this cow in Wisconsin that produces 1,000 

 pounds within a year. I see a good many look skeptical at that 

 statement but I believe it is right. I believe it is correct. I be- 



