194 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



his milk in this manner the dealer must select dairies supplying 

 milk of low bacteria content. This brings the dealers into com- 

 petition with each other in the buying territory, which does not 

 occur under the system of milk distribution in New England, 

 and this competition is further emphasized by the establishment 

 of two grades of pasteurized milk — Grade A, Pasteurized, and 

 Grade B, Pasteurized, which may be sold without the damaging 

 label required upon Grade €. Grade A, Pasteurized, is obtained 

 from better stables and must have a lower bacteria content 

 before pasteurizing than Grade B. Reports received from the 

 New York City Department of Health and from the milk 

 dealers of New York City indicate that the demand for the 

 higher priced milk, Grade A, Pasteurized, is increasing. In 

 order to meet this demand the dealers must pay a higher price 

 for a better grade of raw milk and the dairymen supplying 

 New York City are said to be striving to better their products 

 in order to obtain the higher price. 



When milk is purchased at a flat rate per quart, the farmers 

 who have the dirtiest stables and the cows which give the larg- 

 est amount of milk are liable to fix the price of milk, because 

 they can sell cheaper than those who produce high grade milk 

 in clean stables. You should insist that milk produced under 

 sanitary conditions should receive a higher price and should 

 not be mixed with dirty milk. This can be accomplished by 

 rigidly enforcing dairy inspection, which may bring some in- 

 dividual hardships at first but which will eventually be of 

 ultimate value to all. If dealers, however, are permitted to buy 

 milk from dirty stables and from dirty dairymen, the milk 

 should be kept separate and should be sold bearing a label 

 stating that it should not be eaten until cooked. 



The grading of milk will some day be realized, and, if the 

 right system is adopted, it will, undoubtedly, be of benefit to the 

 producer as well as to the consumer. The consumer should pay 

 a fair price for a good grade of milk, but the producer should 

 also be paid a fair price for a high grade of milk. When this 

 is (lone, the milk problem will have advanced one step nearer 

 its final solution. 



