ILLIETOIS DAIBYMENS ASSOCIATION, 69 



ation, in some form, been so largely made use of. So far as cheese making 

 is concerned, private or farm manufacture is almost a thing of the past. 

 The old system of shallow setting of milk has largely been supplanted. To- 

 day many of us have seen in successful operation one of several kinds of 

 centrifugal cream separating machines by the use of which it is quite possi- 

 ble to have butter ready for the table within an hour from the drawing of the 

 milk from the cow. 



The great reason for this rapid development has been, as has been indi- 

 cated, that the business has been found profitable. Some of the reasons for 

 this are easily seen. In an unusual degree, dairy farming requires daily 

 labor, care and intelligent oversight; when wisely given, these things 

 usually bring good rewards. That they are absolutely necessary is a reason 

 why many farmers " do not like dairying ; " that they are cheerfully given is 

 a reason why the average dairy farmer or dairy farming region is more pros- 

 perous than the average grain growing farmer or grain growing region. 

 Dairying most successfully solves the problem how to reduce bulk aud weight 

 of farm products in proportion to value, thus best fitting them for transpor- 

 tation. In an unusual degree dairy farming is adapted to preserving the 

 fertility of the soils of the farms, by causing the consumption of much of the 

 produce grown upon them. 



It is not strange, then, that dairy farming and manufacture has assumed 

 so important a place and has spread over so much of the country. 



Looking to the future, there seems good reason for hopefulness ; although 

 I do not believe there are to be, in general, equally large profits with those 

 which have been secured in past years. It is hardly probable there will 

 be any very great extension of area in which dairying wiil be the leading or 

 almost exclusive business. While we have learned that it is qnite possible 

 to make dairying successful, in some one of its branches, wherever cows can 

 be kept in health and with reasonable cost, it is also true that there are re- 

 gions better adapted to the work than are others. The northern third of 

 Illinois will long remain the chief dairy region of the state. The central 

 belt will do more in the work than will the southern portion. There will be 

 enlargement in Iowa, Minnesota and other western states. 



The aggregate product of dairy goods in Illinois will grow much larger. 

 There will be increasing attention to butter and perhaps to cheese making 

 in regions where beef making orgrain growing will remain the chief branches 

 of farm work. We must remember that the great establishments are not 

 all. We read w4th interest of the factories in which thousands of pounds of 

 butter are produced daily ; but we must not forget that there are 200,000 

 farms, and more, in the state, where at least a little is done in milk supply or 

 butter making. We read with interest of such great beef making farms as 

 those of Mr. Gillett, with his hundreds of high class beeves ; but the mass of 

 the beef cattle in our markets do not come from such farms as his. 



The rapid growth of our cities gives increasing importance to the milk 

 supply trade. Probably no other line of dairy farming gives equally large 

 profits as does this, under favorable conditions. But the exceptionally hard 

 work and annoyances inseparable from the business will always tend to keep 

 down the number engaged in it. 



Farm butter making, as usually pursued, is eminently unsatisfactory, and 



