FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 79 



in competition and the law of the survival of the fittest is in 

 operation. 



I live in a state noted for agricultural prosperity and 

 a lot of men are now losing their farms. It is going on all 

 over the United States and I wonder if it is not because we 

 are leaving out one of the most important things — mana- 

 gerial ability. 



I think every man who brings his cows up to large pro- 

 duction does so with a definite system of management. Each 

 may have a different system, but in the end you will find 

 that that system is absolutely for the one purpose of doing 

 just the little things that the other fellow hasn't time to do. 



If I could just leave just a little of that spirit with you 

 this afternoon so that you would install a system whereby, 

 as you grow into the dairy industry, your system develops 

 and every time you add a cow you add to your profits, I 

 would be very glad. Many of us have worked with cows for 

 a good many years. We have finally gotten on to a definite 

 system whereby each cow is followed through in about the 

 same w^ay. 



One of the greatest things in all business efforts is 

 patience, persistence and perseverance. Try it out for your- 

 selves and see whether I am right or wrong. 



Take that cow in your herd which is next to freshen. 

 After eight weeks of freshening, turn her dry and, just as 

 soon as she is dry, then make a point to feed her the best 

 you expect to feed her throughout the entire year. I think 

 one of the greatest factors responsible for low production 

 is this idea that when the cow is dry she doesn't need any 

 feed or care. If ever a cow needs to be well fed, from the 

 standpoint of making a profit for her owner, it is during the 

 resting period while she is dry and prior to freshening. 



The unborn calf gets no nourishment whatever except 

 what she gets out of the blood stream of the mother. That 

 is one good reason why we should feed our cows well while 

 they are dry. The second reason is that the cow during the 

 lactation period preceding has taken all of her feed and has 

 been robbing her body to give milk and butter fat to her 

 master. 



