12 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
In our recent visit to New York city we found that market not 
over-stocked with either prime butter or cheese, while at the same 
time we found a large accumulation of a poorer quality of both. 
Perhaps much of this poor article will hardly be sold at any priice 
saying nothing about a remunerative price at all. 
Now, in our judgment, the continuation in the manufacture of 
such an article is suicidal to the best interests of the dairymen of this 
country. In justice to ourselves we should put nothing upon a for¬ 
eign market but what is strictly prime. 
France, with a less acreage of land than Texas, exported to 
England in 1867 $11,000,000 worth of butter, while the whole United 
States only exported $1,184,367 worth. While France is largely in¬ 
creasing her export trade in butter to England, we have fell back 
from $7,234,173 worth in 1865, to only $4,424,616 in 1867. No doubt 
there is a cause for this large dropping off with us, and it behooves 
us to look to this matter with an eye singly to its importance. 
On motion of C. C. Buell it was voted to accept the 
president’s address, and that the same be printed in the 
proceedings, 
It was now voted to take up the topics as arranged in 
the programme, and proceed to their discussion. 
Topic No. I—“Grasses; the best varieties as adapted 
to our soil and climate ’’—was taken up, when the following 
paper by W. J. Burdick, of Whitewater, Wis., was read: 
W. J. BURDICK’S PAPER. 
“ Improvement of Grasses and Grass Land by the System of 
Surface-culture.” 
The value of good drainage cannot be overestimated in pro¬ 
moting the health, wealth, happiness and prosperity of mankind. 
In the physical organization of the earth those means were not over¬ 
looked by its Divine Author, in external and internal formation, 
whereby man can improve it to suit his peculiar views and interests. 
Hence the success of the improvement of grass land will depend 
upon the degree of its drainage. 
