ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 21 



you have given to this outsider who comes here. I am sorry I 

 cannot be with you all the sessions and hear the talks and dis- 

 cussions. 



For a little while this afternoon I want to call your atten- 

 tion to some parts of dairying which will be touched upon again, 

 but cannot be repeated too often. 



One of the things that I find in traveling over this country 

 and in talking with people either privately or publicly is that 

 there are a great many men in dairying who think dairying is 

 a little business; not a business that ought to command the 

 respect of an intelligent man — that it is something small. They 

 think milking a few cows is belittling. I want to call your 

 attention to the fact that there isn't a single thing in agricultural 

 history that equals dairying in respect to the income that it brings 

 to the American farms. This " little business " yields an income, 

 as will be seen from statistics, of something over seven hundred 

 millions of dollars to the farmers. In producing this seven hun- 

 dred millions of dairy produces there are more people reached 

 and touched in various ways than in the production of any other 

 one article on the farm. There are more men engaged in dairy- 

 ing, unless I might mention one other thing, which is the poultry 

 industry, than in any other farm occupation, and more people 

 interested in some form or another from the richest to the poor- 

 est ; more benefit derived than in any other way. 



If you feel that you are in a small business, just consider 

 these figures and see what it means. Think of it. The farmers 

 of this country that produce such a vast wealth of dairy pro- 

 ductions, produce more than any other country in this line, 

 because of the vase agricultural interests of the United States. 



Another thing is, we must get credit that we consume most 

 of this at home. I believe the home market is the best, but it is 

 fortunate for us this year, we are finding place for come surplus 

 goods in Europe. Surplus, think of it, and it all goes to help 

 the income of the man who produced the dairy productions on 

 these Illinois farms and other states of the Union. 



