522 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE DETEOIT MILK DEMAND. 



Micbigan'.s great fluid milk market is the city of Detroit, and since the 

 large size and rapid growth of this city are among the chief hindrances to 

 an adequate milk supply these important subjects will now be discussed. 

 Detroit as is well known ranks at present among the half dozen largest 

 cities of our country and it bas been hoped that a description of the 

 city milk control here would prove helpful elsewhere under usual 

 city conditions. The general milk market of the state, however, should 

 first be given a glance in ordec^ that by so doing the especial needs of the 

 metropolis may be put in their proper setting. In this survey of the 

 state as a whole we may properly limit ourselves to that portion of 

 Michigan which lies south of an east and west line passing a little north 

 of Bay City, since tbis is the so-called ''old-settled" portion. 



The part of the Lower Peninsula thus named comprises, indeed, but 

 little more than a third the size of the state, but in this area there are 

 to be found 75 cities and large towns having an aggregate population 

 of 2,000,000 or more persons. In addition to this there are in the 

 small towns and villages of this area 150,000 more people to be supplied 

 with milk. 



Comparing now for purposes of illustration the city milk demands of 

 Michigan with those of Iowa, Minnesota or Wisconsin, and we shall find 

 that this small part of the state of Michigan which we have described 

 has more than twice the city population of the entire state of Iowa. It 

 also has in round numbers twice the city and town population found 

 in the whole state of Minnesota. AVhen the city and town population 

 of this Michigan section is compared with that of Wisconsin, the com- 

 monwealth which it most resembles in natural features, climate, soil, 

 etc., it will be found that this small portion of Michigan has in its cities 

 and towns, one-half more people than the sum total of all the cities and 

 towns of Wisconsin taken together. Furthermore, one cannot fail to 

 note the fact that this territory is close to the great city of Chicago 

 with its two and one-half millions of people, and that Toledo, which 

 eiiuals in size (Jrand IJa]>ids, together with Cleveland which approaches 

 in numbers the city of Detroit, are only a little ways to the south and 

 east and tbat many residents of these three large cities get their milk 

 and cream supplies from the herds kept on Michigan farms. 



It will be seen, therefore, that the Michigan dairy interests are strongly 

 of the whole-milk type. The states just mentioned are each her superior 

 in some form of dairy product such as butter or cheese, but in Michigan 

 the city demand has turned the bent of dairying decidedly towards sup- 

 plying fluid milk for the city market. 



Turning now to the big milk market — Detroit — we find that more than 

 100,000 gallons of milk per day are consumed in this city distributed 

 by more than 115 milk dealers using a capital and equipment worth more 

 than five million dollars. The Detroit demand requires that milk should 

 come in many forms and products. Class "A" milk and Class "B'' milk, 

 frozen milk or ice cream, coagulated milk or cottage cheese, inoculated 

 or butter milk, modified milk and certified milk are well-known types 



