SANITARY MILK PRODUCTION 185 



provement of the herd, its feeding and care, the sanitation of the farm 

 and the protection of milk from pollution, all must be competently 

 handled by the dairy farmer but in addition to the ability to cope with 

 these problems, to achieve success he must have business ability. It 

 must be evident that the lax conduct of any one of these phases of dairy- 

 ing is likely to raise the cost of production and that the prosperity of the 

 dairyman, the success of the city milk dealer and the weight of the burden 

 that falls on milk consumers, who in reality support the entire dairy 

 business, depend in large measure on the economical and efficient 

 management of the dairy farm. It is only of recent years that farm 

 accounting has been so systematized that fairly accurate production 

 costs can be calculated. In particular the cost of milk production 

 has only been approximated. However, of late several computations 

 have appeared that are illuminating. The problem is difficult, for condi- 

 tions on the farms vary much, and neither horses nor men are constantly 

 employed in labor that can be properly charged to milk production. 

 Then in making a statement of costs there is justifiable difference of 

 opinion as to whether certain costs shall be excluded or not, and if they 

 are included as to how they shall be grouped. The costs of milk pro- 

 duction fall under three main heads, namely: feed, labor and fixed 

 charges. Labor is a fixed charge but it is so distinct from the other 

 items listed thereunder that its separation seems warranted. There 

 are presented in Table 52, estimates of the cost of milk production in 

 nine of the States. It will be observed that the items that enter into the 

 calculations of fixed costs are not the same in the divers estimates, but 

 the variation is perhaps more apparent than real, for the item " sundries" 

 is an inclusive one. In these studies no allowance has been made for 

 skim-milk which would be necessary if the dairying was of a class wherein 

 much remained on the farm which is not" the case in dairies supplying 

 the city milk trade. The cost of feed in every instance is 50 per cent, or 

 more, of the total cost, the labor item varies from 20 to 30 per cent, 

 thereof. Caution is needed in making comparisons between the different 

 estimates for the cost of production varies not only in different States 

 but in different parts of the same State. However, it is noticeable that 

 in the New England States and New Jersey the feed costs are higher than 

 elsewhere. In these States and in Maryland the cost of a quart of milk 

 is between 4.5 and 5 cts. In the States of the Middle West the cost of 

 a quart of milk is from 2 to 2.5 cts. The figures for the particular county 

 in New York that was studied are comparable with those for the West 

 but it is expressly stated in the bulletin wherein the results were pub- 

 lished that in many other counties of the State, costs would be much 

 higher. The Agricultural Experiment Stations of Washington, Oregon 

 and California have none of them issued bulletins on the cost of milk 

 production in those States. A. B. Nystrom of the Washington Station 



