MILK FARMING. 295 



of New England agriculture does to-day. [Applause.] 

 And, gentlemen, as a single illustration which occurs to me 

 at this point, let me say to you that in the most productive 

 sections of Massachusetts, or on your good land here in this 

 State, are opportunities for carrying on the business of 

 butter making, through the creamery system, which afford 

 to capitalists a chanoe for investment that is worthy of 

 their attention, and I am confident that it can be carried on 

 to a large extent. You may see in Berkshire County in this 

 State, you may see in my own County of Androscoggin in 

 the State of Maine, and in Kennebec County, creameries 

 carried on where every pound of fodder fed to the animals is 

 purchased and where experts are employed in every depart- 

 ment of the work, that are realizing a handsomer profit from 

 the investment than is now realized from the manufacturing 

 establishments in Lawrence, Lowell or Lewiston. [Ap- 

 plause.] 



Mr. IMyrick. I should like to ask Mr. Smith what he 

 calculates it costs to peddle milk ? 



Mr. Smith. If a person's time is not worth much of 

 anything, if he would not do anything else, it would not 

 cost much. That is what I think of my time sometimes, so 

 I keep on peddling. I cannot tell you exactly what it costs. 

 There is this much about it. If you are engaged in a large 

 milk business it would be hardly safe for you to entrust the 

 sale of your milk to others, for they might leave you at any 

 time and you would have all your milk on your hands and 

 no sale for it. It would be an unsafe business. 



Mr. Myrick. What do you get for your milk at retail? 



Mr. Smith. Six cents a quart. 



Mr. Myrick. Would you sell it on your farm at four 

 cents ? 



Mr. Smith. In the winter season we cannot do anything 

 else. 



Mr. Fitch. I can answer that question as far as Syra- 

 cuse, N. Y., and Lowell are concerned, for I have investi- 

 gated that thing in both places. It costs a very small 

 fraction of a mill over three-quarters of a cent a quart to 

 handle the milk of the city of Syracuse. In Lowell it is 

 just about one cent a quart, and a fraction over one cent in 



