June, 1933] 



Retailing Milk in Laconia 



11 



Quality of Milk Sold: 



The results of the quahty study of the milk being sold in Laconia are 

 given in Table 5. 



In this study the samples were taken to represent winter and summer 

 conditions. On March 19, 1932, the bacterial counts varied from 1,800 to 

 1,200,000 per cc. with less than 30 per cent of samples over 50.000. On 

 August 16, 1932, the bacterial counts varied from 3,100 to 2,000,000 per 

 cc, with only 12.29 per cent of samples under 10,000 per cc. and 38.59 per 

 cent over 50,000. 



Resuhs of butterfat and total-solids tests showed the milk to be very 

 high in both fat and solids. Of all samples taken only one showed indication 

 of watering. This sample tested 2.9 per cent fat and 10.72 per cent total 

 solids. The winter samples as a group ran much higher in fat and total 

 solids than the summer samples, with 42.20 per cent of winter samples 

 testing over 13.5 per cent total solids. 



The sediment discs taken from these samples indicated a lack of care in 

 producing and handling most of the milk. In the winter lot 21.87 per cent 

 of samples rated good ; in the summer lot the percentage was 36.83. 



Table 6 discloses the percentage of producers selling milk of the live dif- 

 ferent quahty classes. This table also brings out the point that the quality 

 of the milk in the winter is much higher than in the summer. On the other 

 hand, approximately one-half of the yearly supply based on these samples 

 was under 25,000 bacteria per cc. and about one-fourth over 100,000. There 

 was no relationship between the amount of the producer's milk-handling 

 equipment and the quality of the milk he was selling in the market. As a 

 group, the farmers selling under 50 quarts per day had fewer samples test- 

 ing over 100,000 bacteria per cc. 



Table 6 

 Approximate quality of Laconia milk supply* 



* Several omissions occur in samjiles so that the total quarts of milk do not correspond 

 with those previously presented. 



t In determining the approximate quality of the yearly supply, the March samples of the 

 quarts sold daily were weighted three times as compared with once for those taken 

 in August. 



