8 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 347 



a small volume of sales, the practical limits to which prices might be raised would 

 offer little relief. 



The transportation of milk from farms to city plants is poorly organized and 

 costly to producers. Ninety-four farmers shipped milk to ten different dealers 

 in May 1935, the milk being hauled on ten different trucks. Although none of 

 the producers lived more than 18 miles from his most distant dealer, the trucks 

 traveled 255 miles. Rates for cartage ranged from 20 to 80 cents per hundred- 

 weight, with most of the farmers paying 30 to 35 cents. The sole principle applied 

 in most instances in determining rates must have been "charge what the traffic 

 will bear." Milk cartage is essentially monopolistic in this section. As such it 

 might be subject to the authority of the Massachusetts Department of Public 

 Utilities or the Massachusetts Milk Control Board. An equitable and logical 

 rate structure based on distance from market b^' zones and location would mate- 

 rially increase the efficiency of cartage and remove the cartage rate from the 

 field as a price lever. Without materially affecting existing producer-distributor 

 relationships, routes could be so reorganized as to reduce the mileage traveled 

 by 40 percent and the number of routes to six. 



Use of butterfat standards is general throughout the market process. The 

 minimum legal butterfat test in Massachusetts is 3.35 with minimum total solids 

 of 12 percent. In order that milk may test 12 percent solids it must contain a 

 minimum of 3.65 percent butterfat. Dealers' purchases are for the most part 

 on a 3.7 percent basis. Sales are generally on a 4 percent basis. Lack of uniform- 

 ity in butterfat standards of purchases and sales is most serious. Prices to pro- 

 ducers are largely determined on the ratio of purchases to sales irrespective of 

 test. With sales being made at a higher test than purchases, the ratio is inaccurate 

 and discriminating against producers. The situation can be corrected b>- uti- 

 lizing milk equivalent volumes of the same standard. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING 

 C. I. Gunness in Charge 



Cold Storage of Cranberries. (C. I. Gunness, H. J. Franklin, and C. R. Fellers.) 

 A study on the storage of cranberries was started in the fall of 1936. Berries 

 were stored in four typical storages, such as are commonly used by growers, 

 and in addition berries were stored in a refrigerated storage at 30°, 35'. and 50°. 

 The losses in the various storages are shown in Table 1. 



TABLE 1.— Storage Losses in Percent, 1936-1937 



Av^erage of 

 Storage Conditions 30° 35° 50° Common Storages 



Early Black, picked Sept. 9: 



Stored Sept. 9-Nov. 10 3.9 



Stored Sept. 9-Nov. 30... . 

 Early Black, picked Sept. 25: 



Stored Sept. 25- Nov. 10... 



Stored Sept. 25-Nov. 30. . . 

 Howes, picked Sept. 25: 



Stored Sept. 25-Nov. 30. . . 



Stored Sept. 25-Jan. 31 . . . 

 Howes, picked Oct. 15: 



Stored Oct. 15- Nov. 30.... 



Stored Oct. 15-Jan. 31 17.1 



