76 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



would mean $35,000,000 to our dairymen, and the greater part 

 of the $35,000,000 would be clear profit. 



To show you that it is possible to make our cows bring us 

 $55.00 per cow in Illinois, we will again quote from the United 

 States census report for 1900. MeHenry county cows averaged 

 $43.00, Cook county $44.00, and Kane county $50.00, and they 

 are probably doing better by this time. 



There are individual herds making 300 pounds of butter a 

 year and over in these and other northern counties, and the aver- 

 age high returns per cow in these northern counties would lower 

 our average in Southern Illinois probably to about $29.00 per 

 cow against an average of $35.00 for the whole state. 



Some of you would say, " Why so great a difference between 

 the northern and southern part of the state? I would name 

 three reasons: The cow, the man and surrounding circum- 

 stances. In the northern part of the state they have better cows 

 than we do, for they have been breeding and building up their 

 herds for many years. Then the man : I won't say they have 

 better men up there than we do, for I do not believe it, but they 

 have better dairymen. Why? Because they have had more 

 experience in dairying. In years past, when we raised large 

 yields of wheat and corn in Southern Illinois and were wearing 

 out our land, the dairymen farther north were feeding and milk- 

 ing their cows, and coming down into Egypt to buy corn. Then 

 we had but few creameries in Southern Illinois and but a poor 

 market for the product of the cows. Then we heard Elgin butter 

 quoted at 25 to 30 cents, and we could only get from 10 to 15 

 cents. But it was not the fault of the butter, no, not at all. The 

 fact was in the market. The butter was all right, but the 

 people did not like it as well as they did good creamery butter, 

 and would not pay the price. But now things are changed. We 

 have a good many creameries down here, and our butter sells for 

 the same price as it does father north. 



We have some good dairymen down here too. One of our 

 patrons with nine cows received $486.14, or an average of $54.00 



