DAIRY MKETING. 15I 



MILK; ITS PRODUCTION, CARE AND USE. 



By S. C. Thompson, Dairy Division, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, Washington, D. C. 



Milk is said to constitute 16 per cent of the food of the aver- 

 age American family and it is estimated that an average of 30 

 gallons are consumed per year by each person. Since milk is 

 used largely in the raw state by infants and invalids as well as 

 by the healthy and robust, it is necessary that it be clean, pure 

 and wholesome. The production and distribution of milk is 

 an industry which has assumed large proportions and represents 

 a large amount of capital, therefore, the subject is of import- 

 ance to both the consumer and the producer of this product. 

 The producer of milk is interested because he is required to 

 furnish an article that is clean and wholesome; also one that 

 contains the required amount of fat and solids not fat, to meet 

 the standards imposed. He is further interested because he 

 must be able to produce such a product at a profit. The con- 

 sumer of milk is interested because he must have an article that 

 is pure and wholesome and safe for use in its raw state, regard- 

 less of the cost. Both, then, have a common interest in this 

 matter and each should consider the rights of the other. 



At the present time there seems to be some misunderstanding 

 on the part of both the producer and the consumer. The pro- 

 ducer feels that the consumer is not willing to pay a sufficient 

 price to enable him to produce a satisfactory milk profitably, 

 and the consumer has in some way got the impression that he 

 is forced to pay unnecessarily high prices for milk. Since this 

 product is indispensable to the consumer it seems to me that 

 the claims of each should receive careful consideration from the 

 other with a view of adjusting the differences. It is true that 

 the cost of producing milk has been greatly increased during the 



