12 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



Book says it is more blessed to give than to receive. Let us also remember 

 that we can give information without diminishing our stock, in fact I think we 

 increase our information by imparting to others in a convention of this kind, 

 for it causes discussion which draws out ideas of much value to us all. 



In giving information let us not hesitate to talk of our mistakes as well as 

 of our successes. 



I know our failures are not as a rule pleasant subjects to talk about, but we 

 can benefit one another as much by giving that side of our experience as we 

 can by giving the more pleasant one of success. We make some failures that 

 we need not be ashamed to acknowledge. For instance: a farmer in my neigh- 

 borhood once undertook to grow 100 bushels of corn per acre. He worked 

 diligently all the season on that field and left nothing undone that his experience 

 and information taught him would add to the yield of corn, but when the field 

 was husked and weighed, he learned that he had just 96 bushels per acre. If 

 we can make enough of this kind of failures we are all right, but when we start 

 out to grow 40 bushels of corn per acre and get but 30, we are making a miser- 

 able failure, one that means no profit for our labor. I think every dairyman 

 and farmer should have some definite plan to work to. For instance: he should 

 try to grow 75 to 80 bushels of corn per acre, and he should not be satisfied 

 with less than 60 bushels of oats per acre, neither should he be satisfied with 

 a less yield of hay per acre than two and one half tons, and three tons can 

 frequently be obtained. The pasture can be made to carry one cow per acre 

 with fall feed and a little fodder corn in its season. If our land will not produce 

 these yields there is something wrong, and it is more likely to be with the farmer 

 than with the farm, and my advice is to commence catechising ourselves by 

 asking, What is the matter? Is our land impoverished by continual selling hay 

 and grain? if so, stop it and secure cows, or other stock enough to consume all 

 the grass, hay and grain produced on the farm, and mill feed equal to the grain 

 produced on the farm. In this way the fertility of the farm will be increased 

 and the profit will be increased in a much larger ratio than the yield per acre of 

 crops. The trouble may be that we have abused the farm by not properly till- 

 ing it. Perhaps the soil has exhausted itself growing a crop of weeds equal to the 

 crop of grain grown. This affects the farmer's pocket book worse than the 

 contribution box on Sunday morning, but the chances are he does not see it that 

 way. It is sometimes hard to realize that we have lost anything that we never 

 had in our possession. 



Hon. Hiram Smith, of Wisconsin, is planning to keep 100 cows on 200 acres 

 of land. He may fail (though I don't believe he will), but he will make money 

 trying. He will be like the farmer trying to grow 100 bushels of corn per acre. 



There are many ways in which most of us can improve on what we are now 

 doing. If we would put our brains to work, we could make the cows produce 

 20 per cent, more milk, thereby doubling the net profit. Do you ask what more 

 you can do? do all you can, don't try to see how little time you can spend with 

 them, but rather try and see how much you can do to make them comfortable. 

 They will pay you well for it. 



The calves can doubtless be made to grow one half pound per day faster, 

 thereby doubling the profit of our work. Don't think you cannot take good 

 care of your stock because you have not a barn costing from $1,000 to $2,000, 



