ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 165 



THIRD DAY— FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1887. 



The convention met pursuant to adjournment at 9 a. m. 



DAIRY EDUCATION. 



W. W. Hayes, Prairie Farmer, Chicago: 



For our purpose those interested in dairying may be divided 

 into five classes. Those farmers and dairymen outside of the 

 influence of associated dairying constitute the first-class. They 

 keep some cows, yet are not in localities where dairy knowledge 

 is disseminated by central creameries or factories. They are by 

 far the hardest class to reach by any system of education. Prior 

 to the adoption of associated dairying in any district the country 

 storekeepers stand between the dairy and a now well educated 

 market, and prevent farmers from learning its wants by telling 

 the deluded dairy women individually that they make perfect 

 butter. A common expression of these women is that " mother 

 made good butter and I learned of her twenty years ago. You 

 cannot tell me anything about making butter." Doubtless that 

 same mother made free use of the heated horse shoe in Decem- 

 ber and January to drive away the witches. "None are so 

 deaf as those who will not hear." Here in the very heart of 

 the associated dairying district much of the ignorance of this 

 class has passed away, but there are parts of the state and im- 

 mense parts of the country, at the south for example, where 

 improved dairying is almost unknown. At present the agricul- 

 tural and dairy press is the only means of reaching a very 

 large part of this class. These people are unwilling to learn 

 from papers until aroused by institutes, dairy meetings or in 

 some other way. Enthusiastic dairy organizers would say that 

 associated dairying cures all these troubles. But the whole 

 country cannot go at making creamery butter and factory 

 cheese. Horse, cattle, hog and sheep breeding business, grain 

 raising, commercial fruit growing, and numerous other great 



