FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 151 



acreage in the seven states named above, nearly ten times 

 the alfalfa in Illinois, and 4.3 times the alfalfa in the five 

 dairy counties named. 



If the clover area were added in with the alfalfa (be- 

 cause it is a legume and partly as efficient as alfalfa), the 

 mixed hay as compared to alfalfa and clover would still 

 occupy 4 times as many acres in the seven states named 

 above, 1.4 times as many in Illinois, and 2.5 times as many 

 in the five dairy counties of northeastern Illinois ; and this 

 takes no account of the large acreage of pure timothy 

 raised. 



In traveling over the United States west to the Rockies, 

 east to New England, and north to northern Michigan and 

 Wisconsin, right through the states named, the lack of al- 

 fa,lfa and clover on the farms and the crying need for these 

 crops by both the live stock and the land is amazing to the 

 observer. 



Survey of Best Dairy Farms. 



From the general data of the census we may turn to 

 the strictly dairy farms. Twenty-six places selected as 

 among the best special dairy farms in the northern part of 

 Illinois were visited recently, and the following items taken 

 from their survey show how small a place is given to alfalfa 

 in their hay acreage. The farms averaged 158 acres in 

 size and the average number of cows kept was Z4. 



Four of these farms (15 per cent) had no other hay 

 than timothy. Twenty-one farms (81 per cent) grev/ tim- 

 othy averaging 7.5 acres, or 4.7 per cent of the farm area. 



Thirteen farms, only half of all, raised some alfalfa, 

 averaging 6.1 acres, or 3.39 per cent of the farms and less 

 of it per farm than timothy ; only three farms had as much 

 as 10 per cent of alfalfa. 



Nineteen farms grew clover, averaging 8.7 acres, or 5.'^ 

 per cent of the land. More farms had clover than had al- 

 falfa and a higher per cent of clover. Fourteen farms, 

 more than half, had less than 10 per cent of the land in 

 clover and alfalfa combined — legumes over the farm only 

 once in 10 years. Only four farms grew 15 to 20 per cent 

 of legumes. 



