88 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
Probably there will be little dissent from the suggestion that 
those who have not been largely engaged in dairying, and commu¬ 
nities in which other branches of farming have long been pursued, 
should make the change into dairying only with care and slowly, 
that it will rarely be wise to at once get all the farms in grass, and as 
soon as possible fully stock them with cows. But I advise this con¬ 
tinuance of former work, not as a temporary course, while a trial is 
being made, and such farmers are learning a new business, but as a 
permanent policy in regions in which stock rearing and feeding has 
proved profitable in the past, and where skill and some reputation 
h*s been acquired and good facilities for such farming accumulated, 
I cannot count it wise to look forward to abandoning this, except m 
special cases. 
For years I have counted it one of the most important helps to 
continued prosperity for our cheese-producing interest, that moie at¬ 
tention be paid to developing and supplying, in the best possible 
way, the home demand for cheese. Over a very large part of Illinois 
I see no good reason why each county should not produce at least as 
much cheese as its population consumes; why one or two or three 
factories should not be mainly engaged in making cheese for the local 
markets. With the direct sales which could thus be made, certainly 
as good net prices should be obtained, and it ought to be easier to 
obtain a local reputation than to successfully compete with the whole 
country. And so I should be glad to see new cheese factories in 
many counties of the state ; not great, costly buildings and arrange¬ 
ments for using the milk of 1,000 cows, but neat, cheap, economically 
managed factories, the milk for which should be largely furnished by 
neighboring farmers, into whose minds might never come the thought 
of exclusive dairying, but who should find it payed them well to 
keep anywhere from half a dozen to two score good cows, well cared 
for, the milk from which, or a part of which, should be daily carried 
to the factory by the team of the factory owners, or some neighbor 
living further from the factory, while the farmers go on with their 
“ general farm work.” 
If it seems that I have understated the advantages of the dairy 
as an exclusive reliance for the farmer, I may make partial amends 
by magnifying its importance as a help to profitable farming by those 
who will continue to make some other branches their chief reliances. 
So long as the custom continues of making almost all American 
cheese after one general model, it is to be expected the factory sys¬ 
tem will practically abolish farm making of cheese; but this will not 
