FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 77 



means managerial ability. The same is true of a creamery- 

 operator present here; his business is going on just the 

 same. It makes it so easy to manage your cows on the 

 basis of encouraging large, economical and profitable pro- 

 duction. It requires just a little of that managerial ability. 



Among my acquaintances and friends are a great many 

 manufacturers. I have one friend who told me a little 

 story after returning from a trip to Europe. 



Manufacturing cream separators is his business. He 

 told me that he went to Europe for the purpose of studying 

 manufacturing to determine if it might be possible to save 

 five or ten cents in the manufacture of a cream separator 

 that probably sells for $60 or $75. 



The manager is the most important factor of a business. 

 Sometimes it seems to me that we who are conducting the 

 agriculture of the world, the most important business in the 

 world, and contributing the greatest amount to the wealth 

 and prosperity of this country, have not stopped to think of 

 the great value of our being managers. 



So this friend of mine said : *T could not find how we 

 could save any money, but perhaps it was because I was 

 trying to find a way to save on cream separators, but, lo 

 and behold! I found there among these people land that 

 sold for $1,000 an acre and which rents annually for $50 

 an acre making money from cows." 



He said : *'I made up my mind that I would buy some 

 of those cows and see if I couldn't teach the lesson that 

 would make the land back home worth $1,000 an acre and 

 make it pay interest." 



Since that time he has done wonders in agriculture. 

 He was raised in the city, on the brick pavements, and knew 

 nothing about agriculture, but saw the value of manage- 

 ment on the farm. 



These farmers over there have the advantage of us 

 because their farms are only about eight or ten acres. I 

 want to tell you that it requires a mighty good manager to 

 manage a quarter section of land properly. I doubt if there 

 are many factories, or business institutions in this part of 

 the State of Illinois that require more skill and more versa- 



