No. 4.] REPORT OF DAIRY BUREAU. 403 



terms the temptation to make concessions in prices. Such 

 conditions do not exist outside of Boston, and from nearly 

 every considerable town or city have come complaints of 

 much cutting of prices, though nominally the prevailing price 

 throughout the Commonwealth seems to be 5 and 6 cents. 

 Lynn, Newton and one or two other places report 7 cents as 

 an extreme for ordinary milk. In some places the under- 

 bidding is done by means of a ticket system, tickets good 

 for 22 or 24 quarts being sold for $1. 



Though the supply has been full, all reports received in- 

 dicate a fair demand. There is no great movement in the 

 Slate towards selling ;i superior article at a better price than 

 the average, or in selling certified or guaranteed milk, but 

 reports from a number of places show a tendency in that 

 way. The use of glass bottles is increasing, and this has an 

 indirect tendency to improve the supply. A correspondent 

 from Worcester says there is a growing tendency to improve 

 the quality of milk by the introduction of Jersey cows. In 

 Newton and Brookline there is a growing trade in milk pro- 

 duced from well-known herds of better than the average 

 quality, at 8 and in some cases 10 cents per quart. The 

 milk inspector in Holyoke says there has been a marked im- 

 provement in the quality of milk sold in that place. From 

 Lowell, Framingham and one or two other places come re- 

 ports of the introduction of pasteurized milk, but that is not 

 as yet in general use. The Newton milk inspector reports 

 that, of nearly 2,000 samples examined by him, the greater 

 number were of higher standard than required by law. 



Inspection. 



We have previously recommended a system of inspection 

 of dairy herds and surroundings, based on the Michigan law. 

 This furnishes an educational system which can be of great 

 service, with a minimum of objectionable features. The 

 plan calls for only an inspection of herds and stables, and a 

 report. A good report is a good advertisement to a thrifty, 

 intelligent dairyman : a poor report is a stimulus to better 

 conditions. "We are informed by the Michigan dairy com- 

 missioner that the plan works admirably there. Its general 



