ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 
- 57 
years, may be permanently kept in grass and will generally 
urmsh large crops of hay. As a general rule, however I 
would recommend plowing all suitable lands for grain tillage 
often, to avoid the increase of our different worm enemies 
tnat so often injure and destroy our corn crop, when long 
seeded meadows or pastures are plowed up. A top dressed 
meadow often plowed is in prime condition for corn grain 
vine or root crops, and as an item of “profit ” and “ econ¬ 
omy a portion at least of our manures may wisely be 
spread on our grass fields. Well tile drained soils are ;n 
the best possible condition to be benefited by manure in 
fact tile drainage alone makes most soils .more fertile. ’ A 
arge share of the food of growing crops comes' from 
the atmosphere and tile drained lands allow the 
atmosphere to penetrate all through the soil 
warming and disintegrating as well as removing 
surplus moisture, hence manure on such lands is 
easi.y assimilated with the soil and in the best condition 
for plant food Dairymen of Illinois, though your business 
is arduous and confining, you have the consolation of know- 
ing that you are improving and enriching your farms instead 
of impoverishing them as was the practice of earlier days. 
hope and trust also that you are improving your minds 
as well as your farms, for no human being is worthy the 
name of man who voluntarily makes of life only a perpet¬ 
ual round of drudgery. Labor is the foundation of all that 
is great and good in all ages and in all lands. Without 
labor, no civilized nations can long endure. And although 
labor is man s highest boon when intelligently applied it 
may easily become man’s fatal foe by over use and unwise 
practice. Pause, fellow farmer, in your ceaseless rounds 
of toil think more, read more, plan more, make not of 
yourselves men beasts of burden, but intelligent 
men and women with intelligent families growing 
up around you. Illinois is a great state in every 
t S X S , e a r wt y ’ a "u yet , S , he is ° nI > r P art; ally settled and 
[ e j ^Vhen the whole area becomes properly culti- 
vated and manured as some older countries already are 
Illinois can support as many millions as the United States' 
now contain One other thought presses itself for the con¬ 
sideration of every intelligent producer. It is not enough 
tnat our farms are highly cultivated and enriched, if when 
a 1 is done, a few Railroad Lords continue to exercise the 
