192 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



longer, then you raised timothy, and now you are growing red 

 top; and when you cannot grow red top any longer, you are 

 going to quit.' Right here, in Illinois, within twenty miles of 

 where I stand, the people are so poor they cannot afford to put 

 windows in their barns. You cannot drain this land of fertility 

 and expect it to continue producing crops wiithout putting fer- 

 tility back. Rock phosphate is good, and when you get your live- 

 stock you go it one better. When you go down through south- 

 ern Illinois and see how they get all the humus out of the soil 

 you realize they are just going from bad to worse. There is 

 one thing I don't believe in, and that is plowing and working 

 the land when it is not in physical condition to work. This land 

 would respond to large crop yields if it were properly fer- 

 tilized ; if you were putting something back upon it each year. 



Q: Do you do anything with soiling crops? 



A: I used to do 25 cans of milk on 100 acres and used to 

 sow rye in the fall for spring feed and you would be surprised 

 on good land what a httle it takes. I don't believe in putting 

 cows on damp land. I kept track of 26 days and I received 

 $42 an acre for that crop of milk in money, and took them off 

 and put them on dry land and the first ten days on that land 

 they paid me $1.10 per day. The 27th day there was a com- 

 plaint about the milk, they thought the milk was rank. 



Now I know a man who went in debt to buy a farm and 

 there is nothing as sure as dairying to help lift the mortgage, 

 if the business is well handled; it does not fluctuate like wheat 

 and grain, it is a safe business. You don't want to be afraid 

 of a debt, because, when you are in debt, you have something 

 to w^ork for, some ambition to get out of debt, and there's some- 

 thing to that. I knew a farmer that ran in debt. He came to this 

 country from Germany, lived on a rented farm a while, and 

 then bought a farm and went in debt $28,000. It took him 

 fourteen years to pay for that farm; and, while he was doing 

 that, it increased in value $10,000. He is now working for 

 himself, owns his own farm and he owns another good farm, now 

 and has money besides. A farmer needs to make up his mind that 

 he wants to make so much this vear; if he does not get it he 



