1918] 



DAIRY FARMING— DAIRYING. 



279 



be saved by a carefully planned distributing Hysiem which would eliminate 

 duplication of routes, needless pasteurizing plants, and overhead charges. 

 Nothing will be gained by investigations which stop with criticism of methods 

 and practices of those now engaged in business. Considering the limitations 

 under v/hich they worked, they have done as well as could be expected, and ex- 

 actly what was expected. The essential thing to be recognized is that leaving 

 this complex problem wholly to private enterprise is an economic mistake which, 

 sooner or later, will have to be corrected." 



A report on the milk situation in the Pittsburgh, district ( [Pittsburgh, 

 Pa.]: Penn. Milk Com., 1911, pp. 15). — A condensed report is presented of tes- 

 timony given before the Governors' Tri-State Milk Commission at a public 

 hearing in Pittsburgh, Pa., August 28, 1917, on the production and distribution 

 costs of milk for the Pittsburgh market. 



Itemized accounts indicate that for a large number of herds in the Ohio 

 district from which milk is shipped into Pittsburgh the cost of producing 

 milk during 1917 was 3.89 cts. per pound for cows averaging 5,000 lbs. of milk 

 per annum, and 3.24 cts. for those producing 6,000 lbs. of milk. Individual 

 herd records from Pennsylvania show a cost of producing milk during this 

 period varying from 2.16 to 2.67 cts. per pound. Cow-testing association rec- 

 ords in five Pennsylvania counties indicate that the cost of producing milk 

 during the period from April 1 to August 1. 1917, varied from 1.99 to 2.74 cts. 

 per pound. 



According to the figures given the farmers have been selling milk at a loss, 

 while the distributors made during the six months ended June 30, 1917, a net 

 profit of about 3 per cent on their milk sales. Some of the forces that, singly 

 or combined, tend to fix the price of milk are discussed. 



The composition of milk, P. S. Arup, H. C. Huish, and H. D. Richmonu 

 (Analyst, 42 {1911), No. 493, pp. 11 8-12 4) .—Monthly and yearly averages of 

 analyses of 19,317 samples of milk received from farms in 1914, 16,118 sam- 

 ples in 1915, and 14,286 samples in 1916 are tabulated. The yearly average of 

 morning and evening milks and the numerical mean between the two are given 

 in the following table: 



Average composition of milk during 1914, 1915, and 1916. 



In 1914 the minimum fat production occurred in May, and appreciable num- 

 bers of samples falling below 3 per ?ent were noted in the morning milks from 

 February to August, inclusive. In 1915 and 1916 the minimum occurred in 

 June, and appreciable numbers of samples falling below 3 per cent occurred 

 in the moruing milks from April to July, inclusive. In the three years the high- 

 est percentage of fat occurred in November. The percentage of solids-not-fat 

 was low in July and August and normal in September. A decreasing differ- 

 ence between the morning and evening percentages of fat is noted and discussed. 



