ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN's ASSOCIATION. S^ 



In this paper, I can only suggest, and not fully discuss, a few of 

 the things which these facts and the present condition of the dairy 

 interest generally, make it worth our while to think about. I cannot 

 expect some of my statements to be accepted by all. 



Starting, then, with the general propositions that it is entirely 

 possible, even if not probable, that any industry may be overdone ; 

 that a considerable diversity of production is undoubtedly best for a 

 country oj for a large community, and generally for an individual 

 farmer ; that in farming, as in other businesses in this country, it is 

 coming to be increasingly important that all the resources, whether 

 in lands or in labor, shall be made the best use of during as much of 

 the time as possible, and that future profits from farm products gen- 

 erally, including dairy products, will probably not be as large as they 

 have often been in the past, I believe the future increase of dairying 

 will be more in the way of its being made a more or less prominent 

 feature of farming, and that a less proportion of the dairy products 

 will be produced by those who give to these exclusive attention. 

 There are very many cases in which, undoubtedly, it will be best to 

 make milk almost or literally the only article sold from the farm, but 

 I firmly believe there are many farms and some localities from which 

 better returns will be secured for the future by increased attention 

 to grain raising even ; certainly to grain raising for home consump- 

 tion by increased attention to rearing and feeding some cattle and 

 hogs or sheep. It is not long since very many successful dairymen 

 insisted that, however true in theory, it was not true in practice, that 

 dairymen should aim to rear their own cows. There has been much 

 change of view as to this ; but there needs to be more, until, as it 

 seems to me, it shall be the exception and not the rule for dairymen 

 to buy cows. 



The experiences of the year have made us see more clearly than 

 some of us saw even a year ago, that it is not at all a matter of course 

 that comfortable profits will come to the dairyman ; and I repeat 

 what I have before said, that I see no reason to believe we are again 

 to see such large average returns from the dairy as we did for a con- 

 siderable series of years. Dairy farmers must carefully consider 

 whether or not they can produce the grain feed for their cows cheaper 

 than they can buy it; whether or not they can afibrd to continue to 

 make a half or a whole day's work of delivering milk to the depot 

 or the factory ; whether or not even the manager of the farm must 

 do something more than " see to things ; " whether or not " deacon- 

 ing " calves is the best course. 



