58 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



lieve another thing, that what is possible for that man to do in 

 Wisconsin is possible for us to do in the states of Illinois and 

 Iowa. 



While we have a hundred and forty pounds on an average 

 to the cow in the state of Iowa, I also know of herds that are 

 producing three hundred and four hundred pounds and more. I 

 simply tell you this to illustrate what I mean by saying we do not 

 understand the possibilities of the true dairy cow. 



Dairying is a deep subject, a subject for study, and with all 

 of the knowledge we now possess, there is no danger of our 

 getting too much. 



I would like to urge upon you the necessity of first looking 

 to the dairy cow. I do not believe it is my mission to stand be- 

 fore you and advocate any particular breed, they are all good. 

 I do not believe that to the average farmer it makes any differ- 

 ence whether it is a black or white, whether it is a Jersey or 

 whether it is a Guernsey. It is a cow that gives a return for her 

 feed that we need. Nor would I advocate that you immediately 

 jump from what you are using into thorougbred cows. 



In this district I believe there is more attention paid to the 

 breed than in almost any other, but don't under any considera- 

 tion use anything except a known thorougbred dairy sire. After 

 you have your dairy herds and are able to figure out a profit, 

 lock to the quality of your product. 



1 know nothing of the milk industry, probably three-fourths 

 of your people are furnishing a milk product for city consump- 

 tion, but I do know the conditions of the butter producing sec- 

 tions today. There is a big surplus of both butter and cheese. 

 The same conditions confront us in the manufacture of both 

 butter and cheese, and I know that in these it pays to produce a 

 good raw material. 



The next question of the greatest importance to successful 

 dairying is the feed after you have gotten the cow, and I wish 

 to talk a little about the silo. I want to start out with this as- 

 sertion. I am a farmer in the state of Iowa, not a good one, 

 not as good as you, but one that is trying to learn from experi- 



