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Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. 
seems to be rather directed to the unsuccessful farmer. I do not 
suppose there is one in this convention. I think that, myself in¬ 
cluded, we have all met with a measure of success, or else we would 
not make our appearance here. 
Colonel Warner: I would ask the gentleman if he does not 
think there are a great many such men in the country that need 
help, and who ought to be helped more than we. 
Mr. Roberts: I do. I think I have neighbors of that kind. I 
was just going to state one step that I would take to help my 
unsuccessful neighbor, and that is to take at least one good agricul¬ 
tural journal. I take two, and I think I owe, in a large measure, my 
success to taking, reading, and studying good agricultural journals. 
When I set out in life I had the idea of making for myself a com¬ 
fortable home, and my plan was to sell my labor to the best ad¬ 
vantage. I did not commence farming, although I ran in debt for 
land, and intended at some future time to make a home upon it; 
but I sold my labor for what I could get, and then when I felt able 
to go upon the farm, I did so; but all this time*T was reading good 
agricultural journals. I thought I got a good many practical ideas. 
I learned there was no profit in half-keeping stock, starving them or 
stunting them in any stage of their growth. The profit was in feed¬ 
ing and growing that animal right along. Well, I couldn’t have 
obtained that information from my own experience; but in reading 
the experience of successful farmers I found that to be their plan, 
and it looked reasonable to me. I had faith in it and I commenced 
feeding in that way. I was talking with one of my neighbors last 
winter about feeding cows and making butter. He said he couldn’t 
afford to feed his cows more than a quart of meal a day. I told 
him I could not afford to feed less than four quarts. I could make 
no profit in feeding any less than that. That I learned by 
experience; but I learned it in the first place from reading the ex¬ 
perience of successful farmers, and having faith in their practice. 
I cannot claim, to have made as good sales of steers of my own 
growth, as I heard stated here. I sold, last spring, in June, seven 
two-year-old steers for $40 a piece. I thought that was a pretty 
good price, because I know my neighbors sold at the same time, 
three-year-old steers for less money; so, measuring myself by them, 
I felt that I was more successful than they were, and that was the 
result of my faith and practice in better feeding. 
