.ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMENS ASSOCIATION 
45 
The dairy has become an industry of vast magnitude, and it is 
of the first importance to success, in the present depressed state of 
business, that the product of the dairy should be as excellent in qual- 
ity and large in quantity as reasonably practicable, and that these 
results should be reached as cheaply as practicable. 
The first essential thing to this end is pure milk. By this I 
mean milk that is clean, sweet, drawn from a healthy cow and un¬ 
adulterated, either by addition (as by adding water to it or other 
foreign substance) or substraction (as by taking cream off of it or the 
strippings of the cow). Without such milk it is impossible to make 
first-rate butter and cheese—such as will command always a sale at 
the highest market price, and generally a remunerative price. The 
production of pure milk is wholly within the control of the dairy¬ 
man, and if impure milk is taken to a factory or made into butter or 
cheese, the fault is with him and he should bear the censure. 
If all dairvmen were careful and honest, only such milk would 
be delivered at a factory. But unfortunately this is not the case. 
Owing to carelessness or dishonesty, among the ten to forty patrons 
of every factory some milk that is not pure will be brought; and, 
under the present system—if system it can be called, it will generally 
be received and used ; and in consequence of its use the whole of the 
pure milk with which it is mixed is more or less polluted and the pro¬ 
duct is injured. Such milk should always be rejected. If the 
proprietor of the factory bought the milk or was responsible, to the 
extent of their market value, for a reasonable quantity and quality of 
butter and cheese from it, unquestionably it generally would be re¬ 
jected. The element of self-interest in such case would be present and 
incite to close inspection and prompt rejection of impure milk. It 
would also incite to more care, activity, and economy in every par¬ 
ticular, lessen waste and expense, and insure a larger quantity and 
better quality of products and more remunerative and steadier prices. 
If the milk shall hereafter be made up by proprietors of facto¬ 
ries—other than the dairymen themselves--dairymen might insist 
upon its being bought by the proprietors. 
If this cannot be accomplished, the plan prevailing to some 
extent in New York might be adopted. That plan is as follows : Let 
it be agreed that a pound of first-rate cheese be made for e^ery 9 or 
10 pounds of pure milk delivered, and a pound of first-rate butter for 
every 22 \ or 24 pounds of milk delivered. And let the factoryman 
