378 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



The Dairy Cow Leads in Survival of the Fittest. 



Since the cow is the most economical producer of human 

 food of all of our domestic animals, and as she can live and pro- 

 duce milk on a ration composed entirely of roughage, she will be 

 the animal that will be resorted to in order to convert half of the 

 energy of our common crops, which is otherwise unavailable, into 

 human food. Another reason why the cow is here to stay, and 

 will always be of vital importance in sustaining human life, is 

 that babies and invalids cannot be nourished on corn meal mush 

 alone. For these reasons, even after the time comes that there 

 is an actual struggle for human food, the dairy cow will still be 

 a vital and abiding factor in a system of permanent agriculture, 

 if we are to retain a high degree of civilization. 

 Importance of Brainy Leaders. 



A few brainy, energetic men devoting their efforts to dairy- 

 ing tends to the highest development of this occupation in any 

 community, for the mass of people are great imitators, and learn 

 better methods by following the example of their most progres- 

 sive neighbors. In some dairy sections are found poor cows, 

 poorly fed and cared for, poor buildings and poor farming in 

 general, while in other sections the dairy conditions, as a whole, 

 are excellent, due to following the practices of a few live, pro- 

 gressive dairymen in the community, who are the guide posts on 

 the road to successful dairying. 



It has been said that the cities would not last long were they 

 not supplied with new brain and vitality from the farm. How 

 many people have given serious consideration to the real mean- 

 ing of this constant drain of the best brain from the farm to the 

 city, which has been going on for many years, and its signifi- 

 cance and serious effect upon the development of our agricul- 

 ture ? The city has been developed to the neglect and at the ex- 

 pense of the country. 



Three Things the Boy Wants to Know. 



The familiar saying, ''It is hard to teach an old dog new 

 tricks," is all too true. It is the young men in dairying today 

 that must be looked to for advancement and the improvement of 



