l6 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



At our Director's meeting last February, your officers decided that the 

 most efficient work that could be done would be along educational lines, 

 assisting the Dairy Department of our Agricultural College, when ami 

 where we could. I have given some time in traveling over the State, and 

 quite a little thought as to how best to reach the home dairies, and give 

 them the information they seem to so sadly need, and have thoroughly 

 convinced myself that what is most needed, is a few good practical in- 

 structors in the field to supplement the work of our Dairy School here. 



The State could use five good field men, and their cost would be small 

 compared with the results. They should visit every farm in the State 

 where a cow is milked, and practical information should be left there of 

 how to grow the feed, when and how to feed it and the kind of cow to feed 

 it to, how to care for milk and how to make good, clean, sweet butter. 

 You can readily see how such a force in the field would be agents of the Col- 

 lege proper, and strengthen it in all its branches, fill its dairy room with 

 a bright cass of students, and add millions to the wealth of the State, for 

 it is a fact that the simplest dairy knowledge is lacking where a large por- 

 tion of the dairy butter is made. For proof, go to any grocery store in any 

 town of the State, and sample the different makes of butter brought in, 

 and while the grocer, for reasons of his own, may pay the same price for 

 it, the loss is there for someone to bear and I believe if we bring this re- 

 quest in proper shape before the authorities, they will put the dairy depart- 

 ment of our College in position to cany out this suggestion. 



The Farmers Insttiutes whenever held should be asked to have a prac- 

 tical dairyman to give his knowledge in d simple way. I say simple, De- 

 cause we are so liable to use terms that are not readily understood, and the 

 most effective talk is one that can be understood by everybody present. 

 I y going into every County and Town of the State once a year, a great help 

 can be had from this source. 



The country school can be made a most efficient medium for communi- 

 cating agricultural information to tn • farmer, and his help through the 

 children and young people. If t,he rural teachers are alive to the situation, 

 they will inform themselves on dairy knowledge and so be ready to impart 



