90 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYIVTEN's ASSOCIATION. 



Doubtless with cheap lands and comparatively dear labor, the prac- 

 tice of allowing the calves to suckle the cows, receiving all the milk, 

 has often been the most profitable. But I cannot believe this is to 

 continue. A good cow can and will give more milk than is necessary 

 for rearing her calf if it be otherwise well fed. Either by the plan 

 sometimes followed, of giving one cow two calves and milking the 

 dam of the other, or by milking and feeding skim milk, supplemented 

 with other food, it seems certain the time is coming in this state 

 when a more profitable use can be made of the milk than to have 

 the calves take it all. 



For such farmers, as well as for " general farmers " almost uni- 

 versally, it seems certain the best cows are those cows which combine 

 milk and meat producing ability in good degree, even if they do not 

 in either reach the highest point. 



That I may not be misunderstood, I may say in the way of 

 summary : I do not at all believe the teaching that a farmer should, 

 necessarily, produce everything he uses, if this be possible ; if he 

 can buy cheaper than he can rear or manufacture, it is best economy 

 to buy. But where there is a question as to which is the cheaper 

 course, it is safer to lean to the side of home production. I would 

 not advise a farmer to fritter away his time and strength in produc- 

 ing small quauntities of a multitude of products; he will do best to 

 have one, or two, or three things to which he gives chief attention ; 

 but I grow to believe more and more strongly, that it is scarcely ever 

 safe for a series of years, to depend on any one specialty, and so I 

 would always have " more than one string to my bow." I do not 

 take a hopeless view of the prospects of dairying ; it has as bright 

 an outlook as perhaps any branch of agriculture. Money is to be 

 made from the dairy for long years to come ; but, as I read the indi- 

 cations, it will rarely be wise for communities or individual farmers, 

 unless in exceptional circumstances, to make milk and its products 

 the only source of expected profit. Grain-growing and stock-rearing 

 farmers will often do well to make more of the dairy than they have 

 in the past. A very large part of the butter product of the country 

 will continue to be made at farm-houses. Winter butter making has 

 some special advantages for the farmers as well as for the creamery 

 proprietors. Cheese factories may profitably be established in many 

 localities where they are now unknown, especially with a view of 

 developing and supplying the home demand. For the great mass of 

 farmers, those cow^s are best which are well suited for both meat and 

 milk making. 



