ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
13 
opening.new markets for the luxuries and necessaries of a higher civilization. 
With this almost limitless prospect of demand, what is the future source 
ol supply ? Dairying can be profitably pursued in a limited territory. A 
belt of country not much over two hundred miles in width crossing our con¬ 
tinent from east to west, constitutes the dairy area of America, and upon 
this temperate zone must devolve the business of producing the vast amount 
of dairy products required, and it seems as though the problem for the con¬ 
sumer would be, How can the supply be kept up ? rather than for us to 
inquire, How can a market be found ? 
In this favored dairy region there need not be dreaded the exhaustion of 
the soil as in the earlier years of grain raising. The dairy carries with it 
its own fertilizers, and year by year the soil increases in productiveness as 
its fortunate owner increases in riches, and with the gold of the world 
pouring into its coffers, and God’s sunshine and shower descending upon it, 
the hearts of its people will be glad, for they shall live in a land flowing with 
milk and honey. 
Hie Secretary of the Elgin Dairymen’s Club then read the following letter 
from the Secretary of the Illinois State Board of Agriculture : 
State Board of Agriculture, i 
, Secretary’s Office, 
„ _ ,, ,, , „ Springfield, December 19th, 1874. } 
To J. II, McLean, Esq. : 
Dear Sir : Cannot something be done to secure the co-operation of 
dairymen of this and adjoining States in making an exhibition of their 
products at our State Fairs s'omewhat commensurate with the magnitude of 
the interests involved?- Large premiums are annually offered for cheese, 
butter, and for cows with good milking properties; but the response has 
been far from encouraging. What is wrong ? and, Where is the remedy ? 
If you think best, please bring this matter before the State Dairymen’s 
Association at its meeting this month, and let me hear from you. The State 
Board of Agriculture will meet January 12th, and any suggestions you may 
make will be laid before said Board by— 
Yery truly yours, 
A. M. Garland, Secretary. 
The communication was referred to the following Committee: Geo. E. 
Morrow, Dr. Stone, I. II. Wanzer, Lewis Stewart and I. Boise. 
The first subject for discussion was, “ The Supply and Demand of Dairy 
Products, and their Prospective Markets,” which was opened by D. G. 
Eldredge, of DuPage county, Secretary of the Association, who said that 
during the past twenty years the increase of milch cows had been about two 
per cent, on the increase of the inhabitants, and in the same time dairy 
products have more than doubled. The same cannot be said of any other 
farm products, and perhaps of no other manufactured article. 
