New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 23 



gathered appear to indicate that while the dairy products of this 

 State exceed in value any other agricultural product, they are 

 undoubtedly produced either on a very small margin, or at a loss. 

 In other words, if milk produced under the old and somewhat 

 indifferent and careless methods is not paying the profits it should, 

 additional expense can not be imposed without additional com- 

 pensation. It remains for the consumer to appreciate this fact 

 and become willing to pay for milk according to quality. 



It was the good fortune of the Station to be able to make observa- 

 tions which, without question, justify the general point of view 

 above set forth. During the years from September, 1907, to March, 

 1911, a study was made of the influence of publicity and payment 

 based on quality as a means of improving a city milk supply. During 

 this time the dairies supplying milk to this city were carefully and 

 repeatedly scored. Later, the Station found it desirable for the 

 purposes of sanitary milk study to re-score these dairies, which 

 was done several times, and found a very marked change. In the 

 earlier study, the two factors — publicity and financial stimulus — 

 were so closely united that it was not possible to estimate their relative 

 importance. As a result of the changes which occurred, without 

 corresponding changes in prices paid for the milk, it became 

 possible to observe the effect of the removal of the financial 

 stimulus upon the production of clean milk, while practically 

 every other element in the situation remained unchanged. 



A study of the economic conditions of the city milk supply in 

 question showed that under present financial conditions the whole- 

 sale price of city milk was not high enough to yield the average 

 owner of a dairy a satisfactory interest on his investment. There- 

 fore he was compelled to supply the cheapest grade of milk that 

 the market would accept without reducing the purchase price. 



Since the main opportunity for cheapening production was to 

 omit part of the labor and care which were necessary to the pro- 

 duction of a clean, sanitary article, this was generally done, a fact 

 which was dicovered by re-scoring the dairies. 



Before the removal of the financial stimulus 12.8 per ct. of the 

 dairies supplying milk to the city scored in the " excellent " class 

 and 87.2 per ct. in the " good " class. One year after the change 

 above noted, conditions had so changed that the " excellent " class 

 of dairies had disappeared, while only 18 per ct. scored in the " good " 



