ILLII^OIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 53 



R. P. McGlincy offered the following, which was unani- 

 tnously adopted. 



Whereas, The members of this Association learn with deep regret that 

 Robt. W. Stewart, of Hebron, Ills., a member of this Association, is pre- 

 vented from attending this Association— by reason of sickness ; therefore 

 be it 



Besolved, That we heartily sympathize with him in his affliction, and 

 assure him that we keenly miss him in our councils and regret that he is 

 unable to be with us 



Besolved, That the President and Secretary be authorized to send a copy 

 of the foregoing to Mr. Stewart, and that a copy of the same be spread upon 

 the records and published with the transactions of the Association. 



Mr. I. H. Wanzer then read the following paper on the 

 question (Topic No. 15), "Can the dairymen of Illinois prof- 

 itably raise calves to supply the dairy ?" 



I. H. WANZER'S PAPER. 



It has been my good fortune to be present at most of the dairy meetings 

 since their first organization in the West, and never remember of a more 

 important question coming up for their deliberation than this very calf 

 question. It seems to me to be the very foundation of the whole business. 

 Just in proportion as we neglect the breeding and raising of the best calves, 

 just in that proportion our dairy stock must depreciate in value and our 

 profits grow less, and just in proportion to the care in this direction, the 

 value of our stock will increase and our profits grow large. 



Within ten miles of Avhere we are to-day, there are at least 250 dairies 

 that will average thirty cows to the dairy, and I venture the assertion that 

 it will average four cows to each dairy that don't pay the expense of keeping 

 and care from one year's end to the other. Yes, and I will go further — I 

 believe that it will average two cows to the dairy that fall so far behind 

 paying expenses that it takes the net profits from two paying cows to foot 

 their bills. I base these assertions upon experiments with my own dairy, 

 which has been up to the average in point of profit. If this is true, we have 

 1,000 cows that don't pay the expense of keeping and care, and 500 that 

 absorb the profits of 500 more. There are dairymen all around us that have 

 kept cows from the time they have bought them, say at four years old, until 

 their teeth have rotted out and the wrinkles have gone to the ends of tfeeir 

 horns, and never have seen a twelve-month that they have paid expenses. 

 From our present mode of supplying the dairy with cows it can't be other- 

 wise than grow worse ; we are sure to have a very inferior looking cow, and 

 one very unprofitable. And it is a wonder to us that, with that foresight 

 "which characterizes the West, we haven't before stopped and asked the 

 question, Does it pay to raise calves ? 



Before going into the particulars, I want to ask these dairymen if they 



