74 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



I have tried to analyze this very wonderful program. 

 I have attended meetings all over the country and in Can- 

 ada and I have never sat through such a very v^onderful 

 educational program as this has been. I have tried to anal- 

 yze it and I think that is a very good trait v^hich every one 

 of us should have, that of analyzing that v^hich takes place, 

 summing it all up, figuring out what we can use and put it 

 into practice. It seems to me the chief thing that has grown 

 out of this meeting is that after all our farmers are factors. 



I doubt very much if there is one idea that would mean 

 as much to us by way of achieving success on the farm — by 

 raising ourselves up to the plane of dignity where the 

 farmer belongs — as to just get that idea out of this associa- 

 tion that the farmer is a manufacturer. 



An illustration of this: It occurred to me when we 

 were talking yesterday to have you compute the cost of one 

 hundred pounds of milk. When the explanation is made 

 that we are thinking only of feed cost, that is alright, but 

 there is much more to the cost of producing one hundred 

 pounds of milk than the feed cost. When we think of hours 

 in terms of money, then, and only then, are we going to 

 reach that plane of accounting for ourselves that the manu- 

 facturer necessarily adopted a long time ago ; that the mer- 

 chant was compelled to recognize a long time ago; that is 

 so essential that the banker would not stay in business if he 

 did not recognize it. Such things as taxation, interest, re- 

 pairs and depreciation are all overhead expenses and legit- 

 imate. 



I doubt very much if there is a manager of any manu- 

 facturing institution or any class of^ manufacturing industry 

 that is a greater factor in behalf of American civilization 

 than the manager of a farm and perhaps it is because we 

 have not gotten down to this strict accounting system that 

 all other business men have been compelled to adopt. Per- 

 haps that is the reason. 



Maybe that is why we say that the growing of sweet 

 clover on our pastures is better than the growing of blue 

 grass, but I just have not time to do it and I have no money 

 to do it with. 



