ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN S ASSOCIATION. 2/ 



for violation of the laws or contracts, thus showing that we 

 are quite a law-abiding set. This year we have a member- 

 ship of one hundred and thirty-six, which is considerably 

 more than we have ever had before, but we do not want it 

 to stop here, but want all dairymen, all factorymen, and all 

 dealers to join us, and, by so doing, aid in keeping Western, 

 and especially Illinois products, in the first rank of the 

 leading markets where they are sold. 



Factorymen who deal on the board have opportunities 

 of becoming posted as to the state of the markets in all the 

 leading cities, save Chicago, which, however, is so remote 

 from us that the quotations might become stale before they 

 reach us, hence we do not post prices on our bulletin board 

 from that town. We also receive a regular telegram every 

 Tuesday from New York city, giving us the state of the 

 market there for the previous day. Thus the board en- 

 deavors to inform the members of the state of trade in the 

 different cities, but once in awhile factorymen become inde- 

 pendent of these sources of information, and some " fly " 

 dealer picks them up, and buys their product at figures 

 below the market price. Being bitten once, they afterward 

 try to steer clear of such breakers. 



The meetings, as a rule, are quiet and orderly, and a 

 stranger, unacquainted with our way of doing business, 

 would imagine that we never get up a boom in butter and 

 cheese ; but it is said that still waters run deep, and the 

 days we have the heaviest sales we have the least noise ; in 

 fact, when there is business on the board, there is no time 

 for noise or idle talk. 



It would require too much tmiQ to give the pe7^so7i7iel 

 of some of the more prominent members of the board, 

 although I believe it would prove highly interesting to 

 many, and perhaps at a future meeting I may give a pen 

 picture of the bulls and bears of the Elgin board of trade, 

 and thus complete the " acts and doings " of that now 

 famous institution. 



In conclusion, let me call your attention to a tabular 

 statement of the sales, by months, during the year 1879, 

 together with the average price of butter and cheese ; the 

 highest and the lowest price of each. To some these 

 figures will be an important study, and, I believe, will be of 

 interest to all : 



