ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 145 



are not very encouraging. In a general way it may fairly be said that 

 in actual improvement of the average quality of dairy products and' 

 in reducing the cost of production we long have been and still are at a 

 standstill. The exceptions to this statement are sufficiently rare to- 

 prove its truthfulness. 



And now as' to the essentials of future improveiment, it i& import- 

 ant before all else that we give our thought and' efforts to the average 

 man behind the average cow. These are the two dietenmining factors in. 

 the future development of this important branc'h of husibandry. 



Primarily then, before there can be any improvement in the aver- 

 age quality of dairy prodiucts, together with a noteworth^^ reduction la 

 the average cost of prodtiction, there must first coime about radical and 

 permianent improvem^ent in the average dairyman andi the average' 

 dairy cow. The practical methods and means used by the progressive 

 and successful man in improving the average quality of his prodfuctS 

 and in reducing the cost of production must be adopted and used by 

 the average man. 



The adoption and intelligen t and) sikillful use of the methods' and 

 means by which the proigressive and successful darrylnan improved the 

 average quality and reducedl the cost of his prodticts, cons'titute the 

 ei&sentiai's to improvement in th e average man andi the average cow. 

 The methods' and means used by the progressive and successful man 

 in raising the average quality and reducing the cost of prodiiction are 

 easily within the reach of the average dairyman. 



The first step in improvement consists in intelligently feeding the 

 average cow a skillfully compounded miilk producing ration, composed 

 of varieties of food available to the average man, providing food and 

 water, comfortable and sanitary shelter, milking with regularity clean 

 to the last dropy weighing and testing the milk; in applying skill and 

 judgment in selectling and breeding the best indlvidtials in an average 

 herd, in feeding and training th e dairy bred calf for a high class cow, 

 and! in applying comsmon sense methodsi and skill in raising the qual- 

 ity and reducing the cost of production, using average cows under im- 

 proved conditions. 



