No. 4.] REPORT OF DAIRY BUREAU. 399 



The noticeable feature of the business the past year was 

 the immense surplus in June, followed by a marked falling 

 oft* in receipts during the last half of the year. In round 

 figures this decrease from receipts during the corresponding 

 months of 1897 was as follows : — 



July, 



August, . 

 September, 

 October, . 

 November, 

 December, 



18,000 

 73,000 

 61,000 

 109,000 

 144,000 

 95,000 



500,000 



This falling off is probably due to several causes. The 

 increased surplus in April, May and June reduced the aver- 

 age income per can to producers ; this, coupled with higher 

 prices of cows, has undoubtedly been largely instrumental 

 in leading to reduced production. * Sales in 1898 have fluct- 

 uated more than the sales in 1897. In August there was an 

 increase of 16,000 cans, and in April a decrease of 43,000. 

 Every month has shown a decrease except January, March 

 and August. It is hardly supposable that the consumption 

 of milk in a growing municipality has fallen off. The pre- 

 sumption is that this falling off of the contractors' sales has 

 been partly made up by the increased use of cream and partly 

 by an increase of milk from near-by sources. This milk has 

 for several years been a cause of some anxiety, as well as 

 demoralization, though no more so this year than usual. 

 Reduced supplies have offset this and steadied the market, 

 so that the close of the year finds it in better condition than 

 for some time. The extreme retail price of milk has con- 

 tinued, as heretofore, at 7 cents per quart where milk is de- 

 livered to customers in quart or pint cans. Much is sold 

 from grocery stores at 4 and G cents. In sales in a jobbing 

 way by the can to hotels, restaurants, public institutions, 

 etc., the competition has been sharp, and many stories have 

 been told of extremely low prices. The nominal price to 

 peddlers has been 30 cents in summer and 33 cents in 

 winter. The movement to supply a higher grade of milk at 

 a higher price makes headway slowly, though each year 



