ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 11 
stimulates us to rightful thought is of vast interest to us, no matter whether 
in this convention or elsewhere. Mankind, as a general thing, are prone to 
pass over many important subjects with far too little thought. It is much 
easier to tramp on in the old beaten pathway of our forefathers than to turn 
aside to look for a better or more improved one. 
1 rogress and improvement are the direct results of mature thought right¬ 
fully applied.. The man who thinks, and keeps his thoughts hidden in the 
recesses of his own cranium, is of but little use as a thinker to his fellow- 
men generally. 
Mankind usually express their thoughts orally or by writing the same, and 
as most farmers and dairymen have not the time to spend in writing and 
pu lishmg books, but can spend a day or two in convention and orally give 
to the public or to all who may choose to come and hear, their experience 
acquired by long and careful observation of facts which have transpired 
under their own management of the farm and dairy. 
. are led to be Heve that there are many improvements in the dairy and 
m the management of the same since Abel, the second son of Adam, made 
his offering to God of milk and the first fruits of his dock, which was made 
m the year of the world 129, or 5251 years ago. It appears by jecord that 
God was delighted with the oblation, and we have no reason to doubt but 
his blessing still rests upon all honest dairymen even to this day. 
On motion, the amendments made to the constitution last 
year were now taken up and confirmed by the Association, 
and a committee to prepare and report a set of by-laws, was 
appointed, consisting of I. H. Wanzer, Elgin; Hon. W. 
Patten, Sandwich; and C. J. Ferrts, Galesburg. 
Question Ho. 1 of the programme, “The Supply and 
Demand of Dairy Products and their Future Markets,” was 
then taken up, and the discussion opened by Hon. S. Wilcox, 
of Elgin, who said it was a difficult question to discuss_it 
was very difficult to ascertain the exact amount manufactured 
or consumed, neither could he tell the amount annually 
exported. He believed the demand depended a great deal, 
if not wholly, upon the quality. A few years ago cheese was 
a luxury; now it is a necessity; we must all have it, and we 
do not argue the price if it is only good—a good article will 
be used more freely than a poor one. There is a vast amount 
of poor cheese made in the northwest—no real good cheese 
can be found in the market, which is a lamentable fact; in 
the early days we had only rude and primitive apparatus, 
