ILLINOIS dairymen's ASSOCIATION. 89 



You will please observe or remember that the town of Belvidere once had 

 the honor of entertaining this Convention when in its infancy ; and now, 

 since it has become a full-grown, perfected Association, we would like to 

 have the honor of holding the same in our city again. 



Yours respectfully, 



O. S. COHOON. 



E. E. Chester, of Champaign, supplemented by Prof. Morrow, an invi- 

 tation to Champaign, as follows : 



Champaign, III., Dec. 17, 1883. 

 Directors Illinois Dairymen^ s Association : 



Gentlemen : Having had the honor to present a verbal request to your 

 Association, I herewith submit an invitation in behalf of our citizens, to 

 your honorable body, to hold your next annual meeting in the city of Cham- 

 paign, 111. 



Believing that you are a band of earnest workers, laboring for the many 

 rather than a selfish few ; that your zeal in this very important vocation may 

 incite our farmers to more careful ways of thinking and acting ; that there 

 may be a mutual benefit result from your visit to our little city. University 

 and its art gallery, museum, library, buildings, grounds, farms, barns, and 

 stock ; that to acquaint yourselves with our score of teachers, and to have 

 their assistance in that meeting, would at least be pleasant, and that our 

 people would feel highly honored in entertaining you, I urge upon you, if 

 consistent with the best interests of your society, that your next meeting 

 may be held at Champaign, 111. 



Very respectfully yours, 



E. E. Chester. 



Convention adjourned to meet at 2 o'clock in the afterneon of the same 

 day. 



Convention met pursuant to adjournment at 2 o'clock p. m. 

 AIDS TO THE FAEMER'S DAIRY. 



BY PROF. S. A. KNAPP, IOWA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



By the farmers' dairy I design to designate a dairy that is kept solely for 

 the production of butter and cheese, or milk for the general market ; as dis- 

 tinct from dairies where the primary object is the sale of pure bred stock and 

 the production of milk is secondary and mainly to advertise the cow ; and as 

 distinct also from dairies where milk is retailed upon a fashionable local 

 market, or fancy butter is sold to special customers at high prices. 



Dairies under these special advantages can with safety pursue a policy 

 that would bankrupt the average farmer. It is my purpose here to outline 

 some practical considerations requisite to the success of the farmer's dairy. 



The average dairy must, for many years at least, be composed of the 

 common cows of the country, with more or less infusion of better blood. 

 But because the farmer is compelled to use these common animals there is 

 no excuse for the negligence in selection which almost everywhere prevails. 

 The thoroughbred, which has become a model of beauty and utility, and is 



