74 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



man might be a competent cheesemaker in New York, but coming into 

 this state he would find that it was necessary to learn over again, as the 

 milk works differently in this state than it does in New York. So that in 

 a great measure he was a failure, and the factory had to be turned into 

 something else. I know of several instances of this kind; one in par- 

 ticular. 



In 1873, there was a stock company formed in the town of Providence, 

 111., to build a cheese factory. It was built and started to run the 18th 

 day of August. They hired a man who had learned to make cheese in 

 Illinois. He ran the factory the remainder of that year and the next two 

 years. Then they hired a man from New York a short time after this. 

 Before the factory started up in the spring, I was talking to one of the 

 directors. He told me what this man was going to do. I listened until he 

 had finished, then I said to him, " You will find out that that man does 

 not understand his business.''" They did. I do not say that he did not 

 know how to make cheese in the State from which he came, but he was 

 a failure in this State. The factory went to ashes and the cheese with 

 it. This is one reason why there are so few factories in this State today, 

 for in a great many places they have had the same experience as the 

 one I have just mentioned and they do not care to try it again. 



A second reason why there are not more cheese factories in the State 

 of Illinois: As I said before, they commenced to makt, a poor cheese, 

 which caused the merchants to send to New York for their cheese, and 

 they still keep it up. Why do they do it? Because they cannot get cheese 

 that is made at home, or, I should say, in the State of Illinois. You can 

 go into two-thirds of the towns in this State today and ask a merchant 

 what kind of cheese he handles, and he will tell you, " I get my cheese 

 from New York." What is the reason? I will say because there are not 

 factories enough in this state to make one-tenth of the cheese there is 

 consumed. 



Well, some will say we can't get cheesemakers to make cheese that 

 will suit the trade. I will answer that, by saying that a few years ago 

 that was so, but today there is no excuse, for the State has erected a 

 building here in Champaign, equipped it with machinery, and secured the 

 services of Prof. Erf to instruct the young men how to make cheese. I 



