8o AGRICUIvTURE OF MAINE. 



such a valuable article of food as milk that the demand for a 

 purer and cleaner product should come, is inevitable. That this 

 demand should be met with intelligence is the part of progres- 

 sive dairying. It is true that some of the regulations issued 

 by boards of health have sometimes seemed unnecessary and 

 frequently appear to work hardships upon the producer, yet 

 these are actual conditions which must be solved through 

 co-operation and through a more thorough knowledge of the 

 science of dairying coupled with the progressive spirit that is 

 abroad in the world. I think it is well recognized as a fact 

 today, that creameries have become the natural outlet for our 

 dairy product. Through their progressive methods and knowl- 

 edge of market conditions and requirements a great demand 

 has been created for Maine cream, a demand fast outgrowing 

 the present supply. That the markets thus secured have been 

 profitable ones, I have had impressed upon me lately as never 

 before. While in the West I made special inquiries regarding 

 prices paid the farmers for their cream and I learned that in 

 some states where centralizing plants were handling the bulk 

 of the milk, the lowest prices prevailed, running for the month 

 of August about 20 cents. In other states the highest price I 

 heard of being paid for August was 25 and one-half cents while 

 here in Maine so far as I know the lowest price paid for the 

 same month was 30 cents. These prices present quite a wide 

 margin in favor of Maine and her sweet cream product. But 

 along with these higher priced markets for cream have come 

 the demands of the consumer, the more rigid regulations of city 

 authorities. One of the largest cities in which Maine cream 

 finds a ready market has said to the producer and dealer in milk 

 and cream, your product must contain less than 500,000 bacteria 

 to the cubic centimeter and it must not be placed upon the 

 market at a higher temperature than 50 degrees. Neither of 

 these requirements should be difficult to comply with. The 

 matter of temperature is one with which the shipper and dealer 

 alone are concerned but the bacteria content, concerns the 

 producer vitally. Pasteurization and low temperature have 

 been practically the only means adopted so far, to keep down 

 the rapid growth of the vegetable organisms, whose develop- 

 ment plays such an important part in the changes taking place 



