388 A.NNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



cream of different grades and from different geographical areas; 

 influence of competing buying agencies, such as farmers' local cream- 

 eries, upon the prices paid to the farmers; cost of manufacturing 

 butter at different seasons in different-sized plants; and description 

 of different selling arrangements and methods of preparing butter 

 for the market. These data are ready to be tabulated, together with 

 supplemental information concerning advertising and selling meth- 

 ods and prices received for the butter by these creameries in the dif- 

 ferent States where representatives of this division of the office are 

 working. 



Other detailed studies conducted under cooperative agreements 

 with the College of Agriculture and the Agricultural Experiment 

 Station of the University of Wisconsin have yielded much informa- 

 tion regarding many different phases of the marketing of butter. 



In addition to this work, and directly related to the investigations 

 carried on in the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin, data were 

 obtained by representatives of this office from the wholesale and retail 

 butter dealers of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Chicago, Buffalo, 

 Elgin, New York, Philadelphia, and all the leading cities of the 

 Southern States. 



STUDY OF SHKINKAGE. 



During the latter part of the .year investigations of the shrinkage 

 of butter from the churn to the market were begun. This work is 

 being continued in cooperation with the dairy and food commission 

 of Minnesota, the Bureau of Chemistry, and the Dairy Division of 

 the Bureau of Animal Industry of the Department of Agriculture. 



STUDY OF SOUTHERN MARKETS. 



A general survey of dairy markets in the Southern States was made 

 during the months of January and February, 1915. From the infor- 

 mation obtained it was evident that many of the creameries in those 

 States were in need of assistance in marketing their surplus butter 

 during the summer months. Accordingly, all the largest cities in 

 the South and many of the creameries have been visited in order to 

 collect such data as are necessary to give information to the southern 

 creameries regarding the best way of marketing their butter and 

 avoiding the accumulation of a large surplus. 



MILIv- IN\'ESTIGATIONS. 



As a result of the cooperative arrangements with the Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural College investigations of the cost of distributing 

 special and ordinary milk were made in the towns of Walpole, Am- 

 herst, Haverhill, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester. Approxi- 

 mately 200 distributors were interviewed and complete reports ob- 

 tained from 75 of them. Information based on these reports will be 

 made available to the public. 



The work under this project was initiated by Mr. J. A. Vye and 

 is now in charge of Mr. Ro.y C. Potts assisted by Messrs. G. P. 

 Warber, H. F. Meyer, and representatives of the cooperating or- 

 ganizations. 



