40 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



These profits referred to cannot be obtained in the old way 

 of farming, and the importance of studying the modern methods 

 cannot be overestimated. Competition is becoming keener every 

 day. Fifty years ago there were very few pure-bred dairy cows 

 in the country, agricultural colleges had not been started, and it 

 is only twenty years since an agricultural experiment station was 

 started in each state. 



To demonstrate the possibilities in milk production per acre 

 of land, a twenty acre dairy farm was started at the University 

 of Illinois for this purpose. A small barn was erected, and effic- 

 ient cows were purchased for this work. There was produced 

 during the first year on this place 5952 lbs. of milk and 192 lbs. 

 of butter fat per acre, all of the feed being raised on this land. 

 The amount of money received for this, if sold on the different 

 markets, is shown below : 



Condensing factories at $1.39 per cwt. milk $82.73 per acre 



Shipped to Chicago, at $1.57 1-3 per cwt. milk 93.64 " 



Shipped to Chicago to special distributor, at 



$1.64 per cwt. milk 97.61 " 



Sold to creamery, butter fat at 27c per lb $51.84 



Skim milk returned, 4960 lbs. at 15c per cwt. . . . 7.44 59.28 " 



Made into butter on farm, where man received 

 an average price of 32y 2 c per lb. for butter, or 

 38c for fat: 192 lbs. at 38c 72.96 



Skim milk returned, 4960 lbs. at 15c per cwt. . . . 7.44 80.40 " 



This was done by raising corn and alfalfa and feeding it 

 to efficient cows in an intelligent manner. It cannot be done on 

 the ration commonly fed in the dairy region, consisting largely 

 of timothy hay and dry corn stover for roughage, and with the 

 inefficient cows so commonly kept. This is from three to four 

 times as much as the best dairy farmers are producing, and eight 

 to ten times what the average or poor farmers are producing in 

 milk and butter fat per acre. This demonstration ought to be 

 of untold value to the dairymen of the state, in giving them a 

 glimpse into the possibilities of dairy farming, rightly conducted. 



Wilber J. Fraser, 

 Chief in Dairy Husbandry, University of Illinois. 



