FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 121 



IMPROVING THE DAIRY HERD. 



By Prof. J. A. McLean, the Quaker Oats Company, 

 Boston, Massachusetts. 



Ladies and Gentlemen : There is one thing that impresses 

 a man coming from the Far East to the Middle West and tak- 

 ing an interest in the dairy situation, and that is, the large num- 

 ber of men of Danish and kindred extraction who play a prom- 

 inent part in the development of the dairy industry. It brings 

 to my mind a dear friend of mine who went hunting and com- 

 ing back said ''I have been out hunting." "I see you have, did 

 you shoot anything?" ''I shot my dog." ''Was he mad?" "He 

 was not too pleased." But I think in Illinois the Danish m?en 

 are exceedingly well pleased with their work in connection with 

 dairying. I do not have the assurance to think because I come 

 from the East that I came out here as a wise man in dairying. 

 We know you know a little about dairying, that you have a 

 great many men here who are exceedingly capable, who have 

 had excellent experience and it seems almost as though I weref 

 in the way, that I should come in here and sort of repeat what 

 some of these rnen l;iave been saying to you — so many things 

 good, essential, upon which the dairy industry has been based 

 in all the other parts of this country and the world. If I re- 

 peat things you will have to pardon me ; you cannot expect me 

 to say anything outside of what has been said here; so much 

 that is good has been said already. Therefore I will ask you ic 

 be tolerant with me if I repeat things that have been said. 



I think perhaps it is but a fair proposition that I make a 

 statement regarding my own work here. I have been announc- 

 ed as formerly Professor of Dairy Husbandry from the Mas 

 sachusetts Agricultural College. I know Iowa and eastern On- 

 tario. I know Iowa as well as Massachusetts and I would hate 

 to attempt to name any small town in Massachusetts that I have 

 not stayed in over night in connection with my work. Begin- 

 ning last October I gave up college work and joined The Quak-- 



