238 CITY MILK SUPPLY 



losses experienced by the Sheffield Farms-Slawson, Decker Co. of New 

 York and by the Bowman .Dairy Co. of Chicago in the summer of 1913. 

 The shrinkage in the supply of the former company on July 10 to July 11 

 was 13,145 Ib. and from July 13 to July 14 was 18,460 lb.; coincidently, 

 the increase in orders from July 11 to July 12 was 10,170 lb. The total 

 amount of milk purchased to make up shortage in July was 792,655 lb. 

 and in August 3,558,865 lb., making the cost over the regular price of 

 milk $15,367.96. The latter company experienced a milk shrinkage on 

 July 30 to July 31 of 15,406 lb., on Aug. 8 to Aug. 9 of 20,339 lb., and on 

 Sept. 19 to Sept. 22, of 29,850 lb. The total shrinkage in this milk supply 

 from July 10 to Sept. 22 was 211,834 lb. 



H. P. Hood and Sons of Boston state that in March, 1911, it was pos- 

 sible for them to dispose of but 61.5 per cent, of the milk bought, leaving 

 38.5 per cent, to be worked up into butter and casein but that in Novem- 

 ber purchases and sales balanced. This firm estimates that in a series of 

 years 20 per cent, of the milk purchased will have to be made up into 

 butter and casein. 



It should be readily appreciated that this item of the surplus presents 

 a most serious difficulty. In the last analysis the cost of caring for it 

 falls on the milk consumer but its first effects come more directly on the 

 dealer who has to finance the loss for the time being. There is temptation 

 for a dealer who finds himself oversupplied with milk to resort to rate 

 cutting which, if yielded to, upsets business and in the long run has a bad 

 effect that is felt by all. The burden of carrying this surplus is best 

 adjusted by working up the extra milk so as to obtain for it the best 

 possible price. By doing the manufacturing in the country the cost of 

 transportation of the milk at least is saved. 



The North System. However, the chief reason for maintenance of 

 country milk plants is found in the vital principle of the North system, 

 namely, that a single central plant is needed in the dairy district to cool, 

 pasteurize, standardize and store the milk and to clean and sterilize the 

 tinware used by the farmers, it being unreasonable to expect them to do 

 this work because they have not the training for it and because of the 

 unnecessary expense that would be incurred should each farmer invest in 

 the requisite apparatus and expend time and labor in preparing his milk 

 for market that can be greatly economized by handling the milk of all 

 the farmers together. In fine, better milk is obtained through the coun- 

 try milk plant system than under that of city plants. In some cities 

 like Chicago with the dairy districts at their very gates the city plants 

 have largely disappeared, practically all of the milk being shipped in 

 bottles from the country to the city. 



Handling of Milk in Country Plants. The operations milk goes 

 through in country plants varies a great deal according to whether the milk 

 receives merely preliminary treatment for shipment to city plants where 



