90 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



of Chicago where milk was received and made up on the divi- 

 dend plan. Thus we labored on, releasing the overburdened milk 

 market, taking our cheese loose in wagons, principally to Chi- 

 cago, in warm weather going all the way by night. We remem- 

 ber reaching South Water street one morning in the summer of 

 '67). Meeting Mike Daris, who got upon our wagon, lifting the 

 sheet that kept the dust off our cheese, offering us 21 cents per 

 pound for the load, we closed a bargain at 22 cents and in less 

 than one hour had unloaded and received our pay, $462. reaching 

 home in time to do our milking that night. 



About this time commenced our real struggle for life 

 in the dair)/ world. Our home markets were supplied and a dif- 

 ferent article must be made to meet the wants of the export 

 trade. Repeated failures had been made by those coming from 

 the large cheese districts of the east. We began to realize that 

 our water, grasses, and climate imparted different qualities to 

 our milk, and a manipulating process must be worked out to 

 meet the peculiarities of our milk and markets. A\> must cut 

 loose from the east and secure success through our own eft'orts. 

 The east were lavish wdth their predictions concerning our ul- 

 timate failure in the west, and but for the stamina of the pioneers 

 of associated dairying in the west, we might today be struggl- 

 ing on in a half -developed state instead of being the bright and 

 shining star of all the world, as we are. How eagerly we caught 

 at ideas that would lead to the unraveling of the tajigled }"arn. 

 How glad to impart one to another any points gained in the 

 struggle for existence. I never shall forget the hearing of a 

 rap upon my door at midnight in July 1867. Upon opening I 

 found O. K. Watts, all the way from Sycamore, 22 miles, after 

 making his cheese, to get light and to give light. The wee hours 

 of the morning found us in serious consultation over this matter 

 of adapting our methods of manufacture to our milk and mar- 

 kets, he driving back to make his cheese. I remember at anoth- 

 er time Robert Stewart, on his way to Chicago, stopped over 1 

 train and walked out two miles to communicate to me some 

 point he had gained in cheese-making. Robert Stewart was al- 

 ways in a hurry to do his brother manufacturer good." 



