158 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



Reports from these various officers, manufacturers and con- 

 denseries show that one of the greatest obstacles in the way of 

 securing improvement is the dairy barns in which these herds are 

 kept. Too often these dairy barns are found to be clamp, dark 

 and poorly ventilated; the floors are a source of everlasting 

 odors ; the lack of sunlight promotes the decomposition ,and every 

 particle of dust is loaded with germs which readily find their way 

 into the milk. The foul odors present are absorbed by the milk 

 before it can be removed from the premises. The cows are more 

 susceptible to disease and the place, owing to its unsanitary condi- 

 tion, is entirely unfit for housing animals. 



There seems to be some excuse for this condition of things, 

 as many, if not most, of these dairy barns are built before the ne- 

 cessity of light and ventilation, good drainage and sanitary ar- 

 rangements for the interior, were as well known as they are today. 

 Most dairymen realize this fact and would make improvements 

 which are not necessarily expensive ,if they knew how to go about 

 it. Many excellent dairy barns have been built in different parts 

 of the country and great improvements have been made in dairy 

 herds, and the milk supply of the state is far superior today to 

 what it was at any time during the past, as the dairymen of the 

 state, through these meetings of the State Dairymen's Associa- 

 tion and similar organizations throughout the state, as well as 

 the work that has been done and is being done in the Department 

 of the Dairy Schools at the University of Illinois, and as a result 

 of this educational feature the dairy products of the state are in 

 better condition and more wholesome than ever before in its his- 

 tory. 



The reputation and standing of Illinois as the leading dairy 

 state is in the hands of the dairymen of the state and as long as 

 they honestly strive to produce the best milk for the consumer, the 

 condensaries and the cheese factories of the state and see to it 

 that the milk product is kept clean and wholesome, Illinois will 

 always retain her position as the first dairy state in the union. 



In conclusion, I want to congratulate the State Dairymen's 



