ILIillTOlS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 85 



increase the general wealth of the community. The more numerous the 

 farm families the greater will be the demand for merchants' goods, making 

 such business more prosperous, and they in turn making a larger demand 

 for the agricultural products make the market for such products sufficient 

 for the increased supply. 



The tendency of dairy farming is to sustain the smaller farms and give 

 the farmers of more limited means the competence to succeesfully compete 

 for the possession of the land with others of larger means. 



Whatever systems of agriculture tend to decrease the size of the farms, 

 also have a tendency to do away with the system of renting land and to in- 

 crease the number of owners occupying their own lands. 



Take from him the ownership of his farm, and the farmer not only loses 

 all pride, interest and ambition to improve it, but he takes but little interest 

 in the general welfare of the neighborhood. He gives but little thought to 

 the town elections, and but little attention to the schools, roads, fairs, or 

 other objects of public interets. And the rented farms themselves seldom re- 

 flect value upon the neighboring lands. Orchards, ornamental trees, tine 

 barns and dwellings are improvements rented lands seldom add to a neigh- 

 borhood. Any industry that gives a farmer of fewer acres the ability to 

 compete successfully for the possession of the land becomes the means of in- 

 creasing the number of land owners as well as increasing the number of 

 homes. 



Many parents feel with regret the departure of their young men for the 

 cities or to the west, to earn a living. They sorely feel the need of some way 

 of farming that will simply remuner-ete their boys for their labor and furnish 

 an occupation upon which these young men can profitably lavish their en- 

 thusiasm and enterprise, and by which they may steadily accumulate prop- 

 erty for themselves, and ultimately branching off: from the old homesteads, 

 establish themselves upon farms of their own. In order to do this with our 

 steadily increasing value of farm lands we must pursue such systems of agricul- 

 ture as will profitably employ more yearly labor per acre. We must carry on 

 a higher system of farming. With the same amount of labor applied to one 

 acre as is now ordinal ily given to two, there should be produced upon the 

 one as much as is now produced upon the two. This requires intelligence 

 and skillful management. 



Perhaps I have named enough of the advantages that may accrue to 

 many farmers of Central Illinois were they to adopt some of the many forms 

 of dairying. But as most ©f us farm to make money few of us will engage 

 in or continue the busines of dairying unless we are satisfied we can make as 

 large profits as in other kinds of farming. In Central Illinois we have a re- 

 markably good home market. We have many large cities and towns con- 

 taining a large class of citizens who are willing to pay a first-class price for 

 a first-class article of butter, cheese or milk. Also the southern cities almost 

 always furnish an active demand for the best grades of dairy products. We 

 being nearer than our friends in the north to this southern trade, gives us a 

 better chance to successfully compete for this market. As far as good mar- 

 kets are concerned we are as well situated as any portion of the state. 



