THE MILK CONTRACTOR 237 



the succeeding months, but in general there is no fluctuation from day to 

 day in the yield of the cows 1 except in response to severe weather condi- 

 tions such as extreme cold or heat or a parching drought. Cows yield 

 steadily, though in declining amounts as the lactation period progresses. 

 The demand for milk, on the contrary vacillates; in hot days more milk 

 is used than on cold ones and on stormy days the amount sold in stores 

 is less than in fair weather. Many families go away for Saturday and 



Courtesy of Robert Burnett. 



FIG. 40. Country milk plant of Deerfoot Farms, Southboro, Mass. 



Sunday and in vacation time 10 to 60 per cent, of the trade leaves certain 

 parts of the city. Consequently, the dealer, since his contract compels 

 him to take the full quantity of milk named in the agreement, often 

 finds himself with milk over and above what can be disposed of, some- 

 times to the amount of 2 days' supply, and occasionally also he faces a 

 shortage of milk which can only be made up by purchasing a temporary 

 supply at high price in a territory that very likely is far away, thus impos- 

 ing unusual transportation charges. In times of a surplus the only way 

 to prevent serious losses is to manufacture the milk into butter, cheese 

 and other dairy byproducts, but since milk of the grade that goes into 

 city milk supply commands a price higher than can be realized from the 

 manufactured products, at best, the loss can only be minimized. Unfor- 

 tunately the surplus is most likely to occur when bottom prices for butter 

 and cheese prevail so that loss is almost inevitable. Peck states that the 

 Abbot's Alderney Dairies of Philadelphia for 20 years have kept books 

 in such a way as to show the cost of this factor of supply and demand 

 that this company finds the loss to approach $0.005 per quart on entire 

 sales. As instances of sudden shrinkage of the milk supply he cites actual 



