514 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



run 1 fits of the less favored of our land, and to 

 tell wit', truth as well as with song — 



1 'Tow beautiful they stand, 

 \ mid their tall ances-tra! trees, 

 O'er all the pleas int land." 



Boston, September 25th, 1852. w. R. d. 



Remarks. — We thank our correspondent for this 

 communication, and hope to hear from him again. 

 He has touched upon pleasant things, and stated 

 facts that ought to he well pondered. "A Home for 

 all." If that single idea were impressed upon our 

 people as it ought to be, it would change the face 

 of the country, and do more for suffering humanity, 

 more towards elevating us in the scale of being, 

 than all tariff), corn-laws and free-trade principles 

 that were ever suggested. We sincerely believe that 

 more suicides grow out of that anticipation — the 

 want of a home — than from all other causes com- 

 bined. Believing this, we were in favor of a home- 

 stead exemption bill, and thank God that one step 

 has been made towards securing a pittance at least, 

 to the honest,but unfortunate among us. When our 

 social organization becomes sufficiently perfect to 

 give a home to all who deserve it, one-half of the 

 crime and wretchedness of the land will cease. — 

 Wealth or a competence at least, not only leads to 

 honors and distinctions, but saves its possessor from 

 a thousand temptations to which the poor are con- 

 stantly exposed. We say, then, in the noble lan- 

 guage of our correspondent, "the aim of our insti- 

 tutions should be to make a home for all who de- 

 serve IT." 



find fault with the price I had to pay for it, and 

 should not, if it had been more, but I could not 

 ait think of the farmers who raised the milk, and 

 received 2 1-8 cents per quart, cleansed the cans, 

 and warranted the milk to keep sweet nntil it was 

 sold, and received such disproportionate pay. Is 

 "t right that nearly 3-5ths of the price of the arti- 

 cle should be consumed in its commerce. 



Let us take a case, say, six farmers, with a cap- 

 ital of fifteen thousand dollars in lands, barns, and 

 stock necessary to raise 245 qts. of milk, which is 

 about an average l'etail route, and they receive for 

 the milk $5,82 upon the average. Thus, the 

 farmers get five dollars and eighty-two cents for 

 capital invested, and the labor of at least five men 

 to keep it a going, while the retailer, with a small 

 capital, say three hundred dollars, and himself not 

 more than half or two-thirds of his time employed, 

 gets, after paying transportation, &c, five dollars 

 and thirty-eight cents, within forty-four cents of 

 what the six farmers get with all their capital and 

 labor. I would not be understood as saying, that 

 those engaged in its commerce get too much, but 

 this much I do say, the milk raisers do not. 



What I desire is, that inasmuch as the 

 hens have had a meeting, and as rumor hath 

 it, have agreed to lay no more eggs for less than a 

 cent a piece — so the cows, at their gatherings, 

 which are now taking place, should agree to give 

 no more milk at present prices, and then the thing 

 would be changed, from a non-paying to a paying 

 one. And I would suggest, that a convention of 

 milk raisers and farmers interested in the subject, 

 he held, and the matter discussed. Will some of 

 the milk raisers communicate through the columns 

 of the N. E. Farmer their views upon the subject. 



Concord, Sept., 1852. h. 



For the New England Farmer. 



RAISING AND SALS OF MILK. 



Mr. Editor : — Knowing that the interest, honor, 

 and success of the farmer is what you desire to 

 promote, I ask your attention, and through you, 

 that of the farmers generally, to the subject, that 

 heads this article. 



The raising and sale of milk is an important 

 business, requiring honesty, and promptness by 

 all concerned, and all engaged in the business 

 should bo fairly compensated. 



While I hold that all should receive an adequate 

 compensation for labor and capital invested, I con- 

 tend that no exorbitant price should be paid upon 

 an article of food so indispensable as is milk to ev- 

 ery family, rich or poor ; therefore, it should be af- 

 forded to the consumer at the lowest possible rate, 

 and pay the farmers for raising, and those engaged 

 for distributing it. 



Does it pay a fair profit 1 that is the question. 



It is admitted by all that I have conversed with, 

 that it does not ; they say, there is nothing made 

 by raising and selling milk for 2 1-8 cents per 

 quart in summer, and 2 6-8 in winter, which is 

 about .the average for railroad milk; (those that 

 sell to retailers get a trifle more.) Who is to blame 

 for these low prices'! Most certainly none but the 

 farmers themselves, for if they consent to take 

 meekly the price fixed by the purchaser, they 

 must expect to sell without profit. 



A year ago, I was a consumer of milk iu Boston, 



9 paid 5 cents per quart for it. Now I do not 



Remarks. — We "make" milk for the market and 

 sell at about the prices mentioned above, but think 

 them too low, particularly at the present high 

 prices of all kinds of feed. Whether those who 

 collect and sell milk to the retailers receive an un- 

 due share of profits or not, we do not know, be- 

 cause we have made no investigation of the matter ; 

 nor do we know how much the retailer gets as his 

 share of the profits. But this is plain — seventeen 

 cents for eight quarts of good rich milk is a very 

 low price. To keep sweet cans, milk and put up 

 that amount, costs no small part of the sum re- 

 ceived. Farm products, generally, we admit, are 

 high, and we wonder how the mechanic, after the 

 time lost in sickness, and other ways, can manage 

 to support a family with the present rates of 

 wages. Our sympathies are certainly with them, 

 and it may be that we get prices high enough as 

 an average on all we sell. 



Middlesex Agricultural Society. — The officers 

 of this society elected at the Annual Meeting in 

 Concord, on the Gth inst., are as follows : — for 



President, E. R. Hoar, Concord. 



, r . n ■ 7 , $ 0. M. Wuipple, Lowell. 

 Vice Presidents,^ g< Wimm;i;EE? Marlboro <. 



Secretary, Simon Brown, Concord. 

 Treasurer, John S. Keyes, Concord. 



