108 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



confront every dairyman. There is still another thing that you 

 and this calf should have accomplished or at least should be on 

 the high road toward accomplishing. That boy should be learn- 

 ing that dairying is a game and that to be a winner, one must 

 know the science of the game. Finally, as time goes on and his 

 heifer calf becomes a producer, he will or should have an op- 

 portunity to enjoy any financial returns that are forthcoming. 



Now there doubtless are several don'ts that might be men- 

 tioned at this time, I only wish to speak of one of them. Don't 

 give the boy a calf and expect it back after it has developed into 

 a promising young heifer unless you buy it back at a fair price. 

 If this work is to be worth anything, it will teach your son bus- 

 iness principles, and certainly it w^ould hardly be good business 

 to give something away and after someone else has increased 

 its value, to expect it back. That is exactly where the troublei 

 often comes. A farmer will give his son a pig, a calf, or a colt, 

 and the youngster naturally takes great pains to develop his 

 stock. Later, some buyer makes a good offer for the animal, 

 father sells it, pockets the money, and son is not even consulted. 

 No wonder he is not very keen about the farm. His father, 

 the farmer, in his mind, has not been on the level with him. If 

 you want your son to be a player in the dairy game, play it with 

 him, and play it square. 



For my part, I would like to see this association of the boy 

 and his calf put on a business basis at the beginning and carried 

 on along the same line. After the youngster has earned the 

 calf by helping with some of the chores, let him have it. Then, 

 let him pay for that calf's feed by continuing to help you. Later, 

 when the heifer freshens, don't take all the milk she produces" 

 to pay for her feed. That would not be fair to the boy if she is 

 a profitat)le producer. He should milk her, keep a record of her 

 production and know in a general way at least, the amount of 

 feed she gets. 



Then turn over to him his share of the monthly creani 

 check and let him pay her feed out of that. As I see it, there 

 is no better way to teach a boy business principles and dairying. 

 Moreover, it gives him an opportunity to earn at least part of 

 his pocket money, thus making him, in a sense, independent. But, 

 you ask, can you get a 12 or 13-year-old boy to do all this; will 



