26 
ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
S. M. Slade said a certain piece of land enriched by the 
use'of aslies thirty years ago, plainly showed the results to¬ 
day; in that locality they were bought by the ship-load— 
,’iree cents for leached and eight cents for unleached. 
Dr Tkfft said to know exactly how to apply ashes we 
nust'know exactly all the constituent elements of the soil, 
and this can only be obtained by chemical analysis. 
Henry Sherman had destroyed foul strip by fire, and had 
seen good results from the ashes left, by an increase of crops 
on the lands so burned; believed in ashes. 
Hon Wm. Patten thought that ashes, as a fertilizer, took 
tirst rank; come to this conclusion by planting crops upon 
land which had been run over by fire. Farmers were too apt 
to continue year after year in the same old way; we must try 
experiments and obtain information from actual experience; 
, had learned much at this convention; it was evident that 
what was good for one farm was not good for all farms; we 
must sift the chaff from the wheat, holding fast to the good. 
Topic No. 5. “ The best method of improving and supply¬ 
ing the dairy. Different breeds, and their adaptation to our 
climate.” 
Hon Wm. Patten opened the discussion of this question 
by saying he had devoted a great deal of time and money to 
improving his dairy; considered the selection of a bull as 
important; had bred and used the short-horn stock with sat¬ 
isfactory results. There was great difference in the sliort-liorn 
families as to the milking qualities; often had to weed out 
several each year to secure the best. Several years since lie 
introduced the Holstein blood into his herd; could plain y 
see the effects yet by their excellence as milkers; only bred 
from the same strain about five years; thought Holstems, as 
milkers, stood in the first rank; also was partial to milking 
families of short-liorns. Some bulls would, if used for man} 
years, destroy the milking qualities of your held. 
E H. Seward, Marengo, thought the old Durham stock 
would not, as a race, be called good milkers. The Kentucky 
