270 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Milk. 

 There are two facts in connection with the dairy business 

 in Massachusetts worthy of note, the first being that the 

 assessors' returns for the last three years show a decline in 

 the number of milch cows, May 1, 1908, showing 7,617 less 

 than were assessed May 1, 1907. Among the reasons ap- 

 parently responsible for this may be mentioned competition 

 from other States, decreased consumption of raw whole 

 milk, increased requirements by health authorities and the 

 demands of the times, high cost of grain and scarcity of 

 competent farm help. The second fact is disclosed by the 

 report of the milk shipped into Boston by rail, as per returns 

 to the Railroad Commissioners, which for the twelve months 

 covered in this report was 103,831,278i/> quarts, as against 

 109,882,1901/2 quarts in 1907 and 114,233,976 quarts in 

 1906, — a reduction of 6,050,912 quarts from last year, 

 when there was a reduction of 4,351,7851/2 quarts from the 

 year before, making a total drop in two years of nearly ten 

 and a half million quarts, and this in the face of a con- 

 stantly increasing population. This reduction was constant, 

 month by month, with two exceptions, from December, 1906, 

 to September, 1908, when a gain commenced to show itself. 

 Of course this is not an exact measure of the decline in the 

 use of raw whole milk in greater Boston, but it is a strong 

 indication that there has been a serious decline in that re- 

 spect. Some of the causes which have conspired to bring 

 about this condition appear to be : first, that there has been 

 too much " scare " about the use of raw milk ; second, there 

 has been too much prejudice raised against paying the price 

 necessary to procure the good, clean article of milk now upon 

 the market ; third, the increased use of powdered, con- 

 centrated and condensed milks; fourth, the increased use 

 of cream ; and fifth, the working people have been more or 

 less unemployed during portions of this period. Perhaps 

 this was all necessary under the circumstances, but is it not 

 a condition to be regretted ? Science supports and theory 

 and practice endorse the fact that there is no milk so easily 



