The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-02-23
From Q Snow Bound Dairyman.

Editor Free Pren;
The enthusiasm manifested and felt
by tho people Of Mankato and the
farmers attending the late Dairymcn's
Convention betOkens omcns Of good to
your people. have been in the habit
Of attending such conventions, more or
less, for the last four or five years, and
must confess there was more of real
genuine interest and feeling in the one
held at Mankato than in anyone ever
met iu before.
1t was a real, genuine Methodist sort
of revival. Now the question is,
shall the good done he saved OF shall
season Of cold indifference and back
sliding take place and twelve months
como round and find no real advance
made
Will you pardon me If in my homcly
and blunt way l suggest some things
absolutely necessary in order that the
good seed, which no doubt has been
sown, shall spring up and bear iruit.
In the first place, as is always the case.
the responsibility rests to u great degree
on the county papers. II is $" nearly
true that the great majority of the farm
ers Of u county read only their own coun.
ty paper and too often the case. They
read only the one which happens to be
OF their individual political bias. If
any important enterprise is to be carried
forward, the papers must first espouse
and champion the cause. The good
work editors do Is but partly realized
and appreciated.
4 grand good work has been begun
thanks to the enterprise and energy of
the business men of Mankato-and it
now rests with the editors OF Mankato
to say how far that good work shall ex
tend. Could the papers OF the county
devote TIVE or threcc columns, or one
page of any issue to peactical agricul-
ture have those columns furnished
from the pen Of some intelligent level
headed farmer who has advanced ideas
on this matter Of improved dairy work
and improved stock raising, "giving
line upon line, precept upon precept,"
backed up by the actual experience of
the man himself, then it does seem to
me the good revival started would con-
tinue right on, and the farmers of your
county might claim with good reason
that they were Of the elect and bound to
be saved.
Here is one point that was not
brought out ut the Convention rs it
should have been. Many farmers when
they attend these Conventions for the
first time, aud hear much sand about
what constitutes good dairy COW, some
how &c. the idea that in order to go into
dairy farming they must 90 away of
somewhere, and at good deal OF ex-
pense, buy that COW. In all this West
ern country let it always he borne IN
mind that the common COW, the old
scrub ss We call her, will aud must be
the bssis-the foundation of the dairy.
That same old common COW properly
fed and kindly cared for can be made TO
double the income now received from
her. That same COW, too, bred to good
pure bred males, will produce grades
that will again double the already doub-
led income Of its dam. Nothing will
surprise the ordinary farmer SO much MS
the wonderful change he can make in
his common native COWS in one short
year by generous feed, gentle care, and
good comfortable quarters. AS Gen.
Baker said in his admirable address.
We must always remember that the COW
Is machine to convert the cheap bulky
food Of this great West into condensed
and valuable products. Pardon me, Mr..
Editor, if I have taken too much free
dom in this hastily written article.
am Mt present snow-bound ut Albert
Lea on my way home from the best
Dairy Convention l ever attended. Man.
kato will hencetorth be green spot to
which my memory will often turn with
pleasing reflections.
The whole hearty welcome given by
your people to the delegates from abroad
was really 80 fnll that it oppressed us,
and we felt that We owed you Il debt we
could not pay. May after years prove
the wisdom Of the effects and eXpendi-
lures Of your good people.
L. 9. COFFIN.