38 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



ble nutrients that can be produced per acre," and "The maximum 

 profit derived from a given area of land in milk production." 



The result of all this is that the possibilities of milk pro- 

 duction are little realized by most investigators, as well as the 

 best practical men engaged in this occupation at the present time. 

 These are strong statements, but they are nevertheless true. The 

 chief obstacle to progressive dairying is the attempt to carry it 

 on without the application of business principles. The milk pro- 

 ducer must stop guessing, and know for sure what the results 

 will be of the different operations conducted in different ways, 

 and adopt the one that will return the most profit. The dairy- 

 man must be a money maker, and, like any other business man, 

 must know how to invest this money to get the greatest possible 

 returns for the capital and labor involved. He must aim to 

 stop the leaks, but at the same time not be afraid to invest a 

 dollar where it will bring large returns. 



A great mass of the cows milked each day are kept on farms 

 where dairying is a side issue, or, at best, where the men are 

 simply cow keepers, and not dairymen. Even on what would 

 be considered good dairy farms there is frequently aimless breed- 

 ing, thoughtless and shiftless feeding, caring for and housing 

 of the cows, when considered from the standpoint of the great 

 possibilities of dairying. All of this must, and does, result in 

 utter lack of sufficient returns. These statements are not hastily 

 made, nor without foundation. The investigations of the dairy 

 conditions of the state, made by this department in the past 

 twelve years, show plainly that the dairy farmers are not receiv- 

 ing the profits due them for the investments of money, time and 

 labor that are put upon their farms. Dairymen have a vague and 

 confused idea as to what, after all, determines their profits in 

 dairy farming. They are very apt to look at the total receipts 

 and think they are doing good business, when the profits may be 

 small indeed, if any. It is because of this fact that large sums 

 of money are invested in numerous acres of land, extensive and 

 expensive buildings, costly horses, tools and machinery, high 

 priced feed and labor, and all of this outlay turned to raising 



