240 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



do you suppose he could keep in business ? I know of no business, 

 aside from farming, where a man can continue in business if he 

 does business in that way. I found two or three men around 

 Alma that knew how much they got from a cow in a year, but I 

 did not find a man around here who knew what it cost him to do 

 that — and you are not so lonesome as you might be , either, for 

 there are lots of others. In fact I should almost feel ashamed to 

 tell you how many men in Michigan I have met who do not know 

 how much it cost to keep a cow. I do not believe that is good 

 business ; do you ? 



Just briefly, to carry on the dairy business in a business way 

 is to carry it on in a profitable way, and there are three things 

 necessary to know in order to do that. First, have a good cow. 

 Two cows may stand side by side and unless you weight the milk 

 and test the milk how do you know which is the better cow ? Fre- 

 quently one cows gives 225 pounds and the other 250 pounds. 

 Can you tell which cow gives 250 pounds unless you weigh the 

 milk? You cannot do it. What is the reason you keep her? 

 Don't you think it would be policy to know which is the better 

 cow and get rid of the poor one ? Get good cows. 



The next proposition is to feed them right. This is a sub- 

 ject that is a hobby of mine. I dare not start in on it at all be- 

 cause I would forget myself and these other speakers 

 would not have any chance at all ; but she must be fed right. If 

 a man started to build this building, what would he do? The 

 first thing he would do would be to buy the material for such a 

 building as this and buy it in proportion to make such a building. 

 Is it not good reason that if you want a cow to furnish certain 

 elements, that you furnish her with just the stuff to make those 

 elements, call it balanced ration or whatever you will ? 



The next proposition is caring for the cow. She must 

 have good care. A cow must be kept comfortable. That 

 means that she must be kept warm. You will excuse me for 

 referring to my own business, but just to illustrate it comes in 

 nicely, for I know more about my own business than any other 

 man's anyway. I was buying cows and a man who was sell- 



