ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



ADDRESS. 



By Prof. Fraser, Urbana, III. 



It is considered as axiomatic that the practices of any locality 

 are approximately correct for that region. This, however, is 

 not always the case, for man is by nature a great imitator and it 

 seems natural for him to adopt such practices as he sees his 

 neighbor pursuing. A striking example of this in dairy affairs 

 is found in the little country of Holland, which is only about one- 

 fourth the size of the State of Illinois. In the province of North 

 Holland, which has an area slightly larger than one of our 

 counties, the house and stable on each farm are built under one 

 roof, while in the province of Friesland, only a few miles distant, 

 the house and stable are always separate buildings connected by 

 a covered passage. No reason can be given for this difference 

 in construction, as both provinces are intensive dairy districts, 

 and the climatic conditions, the kind of cows, and the purpose 

 for which they are kept, are practically the same in both provinces. 



In our own country people travel about so freely that we 

 have no such striking example as this in so short a distance, but 

 the same thing exists nevertheless. In the dairy region in the 

 northern section of this state the majority of dairy barns are 

 equipped with low mangers and rigid stanchions, while in the 

 dairy region of southern Illinois practically all dairy barns have 

 high mangers and the cows are tied with chains or ropes. There 

 can be no possible reason for fastening cows differently and hav- 

 ing the mangers of such different shapes in the two sections of 

 the state. These examples simply show how prone we are to 

 follow the customs of the community in which we live, adopting 

 their methods and following them for years, apparently without 

 a thought as to whether or not there is a better way. 



This does not seem to be a wise policy when dealing with 

 such a delicate animal as a fine dairy cow. Her food and care 

 should be given most thoughtful attention and she should by all 



