ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 23 



be avoided, in farming as in all enterprises, and the proving new methods by ex- 

 perimenting had better in general be left to the State University. 



There are also fragments of material that are worth saving. In the early 

 settlement of this country, when the barns were of logs or slabs, with straw 

 roofs, and the corn cribs were of rails or poles, built cob-house fashion, with- 

 out cover of any kind, and the enormous straw piles were consumed by fire, 

 persons coming from the old country or from the New England States, would 

 often say that an Illinois farmer wasted enough to support an ordinary family. 

 With the improvements in buildings and the increased value of farm products, 

 this wasted fragment of material has somewhat diminished in quantity, but yet 

 it is much larger than it ought to be. The reason as given for gathering up the 

 fragments, "that nothing be lost," indicates that the question as to whether 

 it would pay financially, is not the only consideration, but that a habit of saving, 

 even though the material saved is of little value, is the practical lesson to be 

 learned. The habit formed in our childhood days in the New England home, 

 not to put even a kernel of corn or an apple-core into the fire, because that 

 would be an entire waste of what had a certain value, as food for the chickens 

 or pigs, has had much to do with the prosperity of later years. The value of 

 apparently insignificant articles amounts to much in the aggregate. The old 

 Scotch proverb, "Mony a mickle makes a muckle," is not to be ignored. 



A solicitor of charity calling at the house of one who was reputed for his 

 generosity, was greatly surprised to hear the head of the family reprimanding 

 the servant for having thrown the wick of an expired candle into the fire, 

 instead of putting it into the soap grease, and concluded that his mission there 

 would be in vain; but he was equally and more joyfully surprised when the 

 gentleman responded liberally to his request for aid. Not understanding this 

 seeming incongruity, he asked him how he could so liberally contribute to aid 

 the needy, when he himself manifested so much grief at the loss of so trifling 

 a matter as the remains of a candle wick. In reply the gentleman said, "It is 

 just because I am saving of what is generally wasted, lost or misappropriated, 

 that I am enabled to respond so freely and generously to such calls as this." The 

 question is often asked, "Why does that man never get ahead? He always 

 works hard, is apparently not extravagant, came here at an early day when 

 land was cheap, but somehow he is always behind, never has any ready money, 

 and his credit is much below par. Others who had no more capital to start 

 with than he had are prosperous, have good farms, good buildings and something 

 in surplus account." There must be a leak somewhere, and if we can find and 

 stop it, he may be saved from financial ruin. First let us look into the house. 

 The wife is busy and the children employed as their ages will permit. No 

 extravagance in furniture or apparel is seen. The dinner is certainly inviting, 

 with pastry and nicknacs, indicating that no one should accuse them of not 

 living as well as their neighbors. After dinner we go with the father to feed 

 the pigs while the boys are permitted to lose several fragments of time (if noth- 

 ing else) in entertaining the hired girl, while she, not too hurriedly, clears the 

 table and washes the dishes. In the swill barrel are not only fragments of 

 bread, cake and pie, but whole slices if not whole loaves of bread, a little stale, 

 perhaps, but just the thing for a certain variety of puddings, while the family, 

 children and all, are humored with the very erroneous idea that hot bread and 



