l6 - ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



I must commend the work of the Farmers' Institutes and 

 all persons interesting themselves in developing the study of agri- 

 culture among the young people. 



Henry Wallace says the College, the Experimental Station, 

 the Farmers' Institute, the State Fair and the Agricultural papers 

 are the five great forces that are working together for the develop- 

 ment of agriculture. I quite agree with him, believing he in- 

 cludes the idea of the common school as a part of the college, 

 and all five should be fostered and brought up to the ideal, as a 

 weakness in one would be a calamity to all. 



One of the most important is the last, for of what use is the 

 knowledge gained at the first four without the means of dispens- 

 ing it to the people on the farm. The bulletins are well enough, 

 but the weekly Agricultural Paper will keep the important things 

 before them all the time. Read "Hoard's Dairyman" for a year, 

 and see from the questions asked, how many times during that 

 period, about the same question will be asked and answered in 

 the year. It is probably this willingness to repeat a good thing 

 has made it the greatest daiyy paper in the world. 



With these fiv^^reat forces working in harmony with the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, what should be the work of 

 this Association for the future in our particular line of agricul- 

 ture? We can all agree that the past can be improved upon, for 

 while in the past, with the aid of theNational Dairy Union, we 

 have done considerable, we can do more. All dairymen and their 

 special lines of work, whether breeders of dairy cattle, the pro- 

 ducers of milk, of its products, the manufacturers, the dealers, 

 the carriers of dairy products, all concerned in dairying in any 

 way, should come together and advise with each other more than 

 they do. In the past, when we have sent the information gained 

 at our annual meeting to the dairymen on the farm in our annual 

 report, and the directors hold say, two meetings, the funds at our 

 disposal are exhausted. We have never asked the legislature for 

 anything different. I fully believe we should. What we need is 

 more life, and the first thing to consider is the matter of Secretary. 

 The funds at our disposal should be large enough to insure his 



