Table 1, Number of Cows Milked by Size of Herd in New Hampshire, 1950* 



*1950 Census of Agriculture, U. S. Dept. of Commerce. 



The minimum prices payable to producers is announced by the New 

 Hampshire Milk Control Board. These prices bear a direct relation to the 

 Boston price and are uniform to all producers within two price zones. Trans- 

 portation and handling charges prior to receipt at the dealers plant are 

 paid by producers. 



Current Methods of Holding Milk 



The majority of producers hold their milk from night and morning 

 milkings in 40-quart cans which are immersed in water tanks cooled by 

 electric refrigeration or in some cases by spring water. The cooler is in a 

 milk house which is located at varying distances from the barn. The milk 

 is hauled from the barn to the milkhouse in pails, strained, and dumped 

 into the larger containers. The degree of handling before and after dumping 

 in the containers varies between farms and farm layouts. 



The majority of dealers take responsibility for milk collection and the 

 truck driver loads the cans from the cooler to his van-type truck at regular 

 times daily or in a few cases every other day. Cans are washed and sterilized 

 by the dealer. 



Farm Tank 



The proposed farm tank would be located in the milk room and the 

 milk would be strained from the pails into the tank, or piped directly from 

 the barn. A refrigerator unit lowers the temperature to that which is required 

 by sanitation laws and regulations and holds it at that temperature until 

 picked up by the trucker. The milk is then pumped from the farm tank into 

 a tank on the truck and hauled to the dealer for processing. 



The farm tank is hosed out by the trucker but the final cleaning is the 

 responsibility of the producer. 



Such a tank allows more rapid cooling and better temperature control 

 than the can-type cooler under ordinary methods. This will tend to reduce 

 the bacteria count and it will improve the flavor. The weight is calculated 

 at the farm and in this way may be checked by the producer. Milk samples 

 for butterfat testing are extracted at the farm and duplicate samples may be 

 left with the producer as a check if he so desires. 



