82 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



and stay there for an hour, why there's our Wm. Jennings Bryan 

 that has been up there ten years and has not come down yet." 



I do not altogether like the introduction I had at the hands 

 of your president. I am just plain Sam Shilling and a farmer 

 like the rest of you and probably have not done any better than 

 many of you and not so well as some. I am not presumptuous 

 enough to think that I can instruct you on anything. I am going 

 however, to try and tell you the truth in what I do say at least 

 and I will be more truthful than the fellow who was relating 

 about a tree that was cut down on his father's farm and the rings 

 indicating the years of growth showed the tree to be over one 

 hundred years old. When it was split open, in a cavity in which 

 there was no opening whatever, was found a snake about twelve 

 inches long which was alive and well and in relating this, he 

 asked of some listeners of how they could account of this. One 

 of them spoke up and said it was easy, that it was an easy matter 

 to explain and being asked how, why he said "that's a damned 

 lie." I am going to be more truthful than that. Now if I can 

 say anything that will arouse in you a spirit of investigation or 

 if I can get you to thinking good and hard upon dairy matters, 

 I will feel that I have accomplished all that I came here for. 



The only time that I ever said anything that I was positive 

 did any good, was when I was addressing a body of farmers over 

 in Iowa a short time ago. While I told them nothing but the 

 truth I overheard a farmer turning to one of his neighbors and 

 say, that he believed that fellow Was the biggest liar he ever lis- 

 tened to in his life and he was going home and try some of his 

 cows and find out whether it was so or not. You see what I 

 said had already set him to thinking and he promised to go home 

 and investigate. Now I understand that you farmers in this 

 locality are not at the present time dairymen. That is, that you 

 are not extensively engaged in the dairy business but your pres- 

 ence here* this afternoon, indicates the fact, that you are desirous 

 of becoming dairymen. I am not going to tell you, that if you 

 engage in the dairy business, you are going to become suddenly 

 and immensely rich because you will not, but I do want to say 



