Example B 



Routes 2 and 3 serve two adjacent towns. The former involves 5 stops 

 and 20 bags with 34 miles of travel. The latter involves 9 stops, 29 bags, 

 and 36 miles of travel. 



By combining Routes 2 and 3, 13 customers could receive 49 bags of 

 grain, with travel distance totalling 42 miles. This would represent a savings 

 of 28 miles per week. 



If every other week delivery was initiated, 13 customers could receive 

 98 bags. The aggregate saving in travel would then equal 49 miles per week: 



2 (34 + 36) = 140 

 1 (42) = 42 



98 -^ 2 = 49 



As the routes are now, 59 and 81 pounds are delivered weekly per 

 mile of travel on Routes 2 and 3, respectively. Combined into one weekly 

 route, 117 pounds would be delivered per mile of travel. With every other 

 week delivery, 233 pounds would be delivered per mile of travel. 



Example C 



Routes 4-9 inclusive involve local deliveries with the smaller of two 

 trucks owned by the store. There is one local route daily. The aggregate 

 mileage is 31.0, and the respective quantities 12, 12, 20, 20, 25, and 20 

 bags. 



By combining these local deliveries into two routes, one Monday and 

 one Thursday, the loads could equal 57 and 52 bags, respectively. A saving 

 of 10 miles travel per week could be realized. 



The preceding examples are concerned with reducing route mileages and 

 increasing pay loads. By route rearrangement, there are also likely to be 

 significant savings in time, thus reducing the labor cost of delivering grain- 

 feed. Subsequent sections will explore this matter more fully. 



Less frequent delivery has been mentioned as a technique which can 

 be employed to aid in rearranging routes and delivery schedules to minimize 

 travel distance and time. But the question of defining the limits of less 

 frequent delivery cannot be answered herein on the basis of present evidence. 

 Aside from the wishes of producers, who may well demand and get weekly 

 or semi-weekly deliveries of grain-feeds because of inclination and/or man- 

 agement decisions, the issue is essentially one of the keeping characteristics 

 of grain-feeds. How long can grain-feeds be kept safely under various 

 storage conditions and in different seasons without undue loss of palatability 

 and/or nutritional value? 



Answers to this question were sought by questionnaire from nutritional 

 specialists at the six New England colleges and a number of feed companies. 

 The replies indicate substantial differences of opinion and a lack of experi- 

 mental data applicable to the specific formulas and the range in farm storage 

 conditions on New Hampshire farms. The matter calls for controlled experi- 

 mentation before a precise answer can be formulated, or these answers 

 translated into recommended practices. 



From a number of replies to the questionnaire, it would appear that 

 there is little danger of adverse effects from bi-weekly deliveries of grain- 

 feeds, but whether less frequent periods can or should be used is a matter 

 of considerable difference of opinion. 



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