ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 8/ 



was a difficult question. The result is, every one says we ought 

 to raise them. But we are not in position to raise cows. We have 

 somewhere about 35 on my places that we have raised and some 

 of them are milking now and some next spring. We are just 

 getting into that work. 



The question of farming is a question which interests every 

 one in the business. We hear a great deal about scientific farm- 

 ing, but I am not in a position to speak on scientific farming. I 

 can speak from experience as a farmer. From the time I can re- 

 member I have always been on a farm. 



The question that now confronts us is entirely different 

 from the early days of most of us who have reached forty or 

 fifty years. We know all about farming then by tradition by it 

 being handed down, and only of late years is it we have heard of 

 experiment stations and tests of the soil and analysis and fertili- 

 zation which are for our advantage, and yet those who preceded 

 us had advantages we do not have and that is, the fertility of the 

 soil. In early days there was a great deal of stock raising and rhe 

 people thought possibly that was the best way to make money on 

 the farm, and you remember our western prairies raised so much 

 cattle some were forced to raising grain and then wheat, and a 

 great many who raised cattle in the 'TO's are trying to get back 

 their fortunes by raising wheat and corn and selling it. Finally 

 the country got in such condition, the fly and bug and every 

 animal or insect that could get at the grain, they got us in such 

 a condition that we are not raising wheat, couldn't raise it, and we 

 find out that the best thing to do is to feed everything you raised 

 on the farm and try to help the fertility as much as possible. We 

 were almost in despair when the condenser came here and 

 helped us out by getting us to produce milk. We are feeding 

 everything we raise on the farm to our cows and we are buying 

 stu-ff and shipping it here and buying from the farmers who have 

 surplus stock and we are feeding it and use the fertilizer on the 

 farm and I think it is very profitable. 



As far as fertilization is concerned, I was talking at the 

 hotel with some gentlemen and I found that they were against 



