Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-12-09
TESCEIIsANZ
Dairy Associations.


Dairy associations have been of inn
mense help to the country. They have
more than anything else stimulated
the production of milk and butter, and
have secured for the producer of these
articles lower rates on the railroads
than could have been obtained in any
other way. Considering the small size
of these associations the work accom-
plished has been remarkable. Very
few of the state dairy associations
have more than two or three hundred
actual members; in some cases the
actual members do not exceed one
hundred. There are a great many
members that pay their yearly fee for
the mere sake of having their names
on the membership roll. In numerous
cases these are agents of dairy supply
houses, butter colors and other COM
mercial interests connected more or
less remotely with dairying. The
small number of members have, how
ever, the support of the farming popu-
lation. They are looked upon as some
thing of a parliament, where great
policies are discussed and adopted.
When the representatives of these as
sociations come before the state legis-
lature, the members of the legislature
realize that these men stand for many
thousands of dairymen in their states
Were this not so, the National Dairy
Union, an association composed OF but
a handful of men, could never have
forced the oleomargarine laws through
Congress. The Wisconsin Dairymen's
Association, about thirty years ago,
took up the matter of railroad rates.
They sent one of their leading officers
to Chicago, and he spent days in con-
ferring with the men of the railroads
passing through Wisconsin. He OBJ
tanned a rate which, for lowness, was
unheard-of in those days. He also OBJ
tanned the use of refrigerator cars for
shipping Wisconsin butter and cheese
to Chicago, New York and other east
ern points. The results were imme-
dfately felt in Wisconsin and through
out the entire West. 1t was the I'LL
nois Dairymen's association that really
created the existing state pure food
commission. 1t fought for years to
get the bill that created the commits
sion through the legislature. The good
work accomplished will go on from
year to year and from generation to
generation. Yet in spite of the great
work that was done, no convention of
Illinois dairymen exceeds a hundred
or SO of actual members. 1 think the
| farmers everywhere should encourage
the formation of dairy associations.
also believe they should lose no oppor-
tunity in attending the meetings OF
dairy associations. 1t has been a mat
ter of remark that the farmers living
near the meeting places in many cases
seem to ignore entirely the existence
of the associations and the holding OF
conventions, even when these conven-
lions have been held in localities noted
for their dairying industry. Sometimes
| the audience has been composed OF
people from beyond the boundaries OF
the county, with but a sprinkling OF
| the local farmers. The farmer that
has the opportunity to attend a dairy
convention almost without expense to
| himself can afford to sacrifice two OF
| three days of the time on his farm fol
the sake of being present at the meet
| ings. The amount of information
that he will obtain will be worth vast
| ly more to him than the amount OF
| work that he can do in the same time
John Stinson, Bureau Co., Ill, in
| Farmers Review.