200 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



Now this farm was 285 acres, which, with the average rent with us, 

 would be about $4 an acre — I say an average. Mr. Mason agrees with 

 me on that. With this, the rent of that farm was $1140. He had to use 

 seven men for seven months in a year and five men for five months in 

 the year. We figured this at the rate of $35 per month, because we pay 

 ■^20 and $25 and then board them. Whoever boards them has got to have 

 pay for it. We figured what was right for him, a«id made the total of 

 the labor for the year $2590. If the renter had to pay that, we have got 

 to figure it. There were 116 cows at $48 each, which makes $5567, and we 

 allowed $334,08 for interest, if he borrowed the money. We are entitled 

 to figure the interest. And $2500 for implements and horses was another 

 ^150 interest. Then we thought probably during the year he might 

 lose three cows, so we put $150 for loss on cows, making the money he 

 would have to pay out $4364.08. 



We have to offset that by selling the milk he produced and the 

 calves. They don't raise hogs up there. He produced milk sufficient so 

 that his returns from the factory was $7055 for the year. A large por- 

 tion of that was made in the seven months. There were 100 calves from 

 116 cows sold at $3.50 increases his total to $7405, and would leave a clear 

 profit of $3040.92 on 285 acres. I say, gentlemen, this is an average farm 

 in the northern part of Illinois in the Fox River Valley near Elgin, and tlie 

 milk is sold to the condensing company. The owner is an ideal farmer. 

 Set your minds on that ideal. I don't say you can all reach that — we are 

 not all Masons. But what he has done, others can do, and a great many 

 people in the Fox River Valley are coming somewhere near that with 

 common cows, picked of course with an eye for milk. 



^.Q. Figure out the interest there would be on the farm? 



A. Four dollars an acre the man gets. I am figuring from the 

 tenter's standpoint. 



Q. If a man was running that farm himself, what interest would he 



be getting on the farm? 



« 

 A. I think up there about 4 per cent. 



<Q. Those best farms up there? 



