Thirty-fourth Annual Convention. ^^ 



down on a piece of paper and after he is through ask him those 

 questions and in that way start some discussion. 



A FEEDING DEMONSTRATION. 



Professor 0. 0. Hayden, University of Illinois. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen : — 



I have been asked to give you an account of the experiment 

 conducted at Marengo last winter at Mr. Gilkerson's place and 

 I have put this in writing so I can get it before you in a slightly 

 more concise form, and if you want to get all the details you 

 will have to follow me pretty closely because I do not expect to 

 do much repeating. 



I thought I would at the same time give you results of an 

 experiment carried on at the station, so you can get the benefit 

 of both of them. This forenoon we heard an excellent talk on 

 cows from a man whom we all respect, whose reputation we are 

 free to allow, and if you remember he told you the cow was the 

 main factor, that it was not a question of feeding but a question 

 of cows. Much as I respect his opinion and as much as you 

 respect his opinion you will have to admit there is a great deal 

 in feeding as well as in cows because if you have a flour mill out 

 there and take there a wagon load of rye, you are not going to 

 get good wheat flour, and if you do not bring anything to grind 

 you will not get anything. Just the same with the cow, you give 

 a cow a poor product and you get a poor product ; if you do not 

 give her anything you are not going to get anything. 



I have been asked to talk to you about a little feeding dem- 

 onstration carried on at Marengo by the Experiment station. 



There is a tendency on the part of a good many dairymen 

 to discredit the work done at the experiment station. They say 

 that it is not done under normal conditions : and that the methods 

 recommended are not practical. Most people prefer to be shown 

 that a thing is true rather than to hear about it. A demonstra- 

 tion goes farther than advice. Though the dairymen of Illinois 

 have read and heard a great deal from the dairy papers and the 

 experiment stations, many of them still persist in feeding their 

 cows very poor rations. Here is a ration fed by one Illinois 



