ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT 



STATION— 1944-45 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 

 AND FARM MANAGEMENT 



A. H. Lindsey in Charge 



The Effect of Public Regulation of Milk Marketing Upon the Organization of 

 the Milksheds of Massachusetts Markets. (Alfred A. Brown, Elaine P. Miller, 

 and Judith E. Rosenthal.) The collection, editing and tabulation of a series of 

 price receipts and sales data for the ten years since milk control began is nearing 

 completion. Efforts have been concentrated on the milksheds and markets in 

 the principal secondary areas of Springfield, Worcester, Lowell-Lawrence, Fall 

 River, and New Bedford. 



In addition to contributing some light on the manner in which prices finally 

 develop under public control, the study will provide a reasonably authentic series 

 of data upon which the industry can build in coming years. Study has indicated 

 the shortcomings and inadequacy of existing price records, and current work is 

 directed towards overcoming that deficiency. Although this phase of the work 

 may appear secondary to the major premise, it is important in a program of 

 public pricing. And since milk control appears to be a permanent part of dairy 

 marketing in Massachusetts the contribution of an accurate historical price 

 series appears to be well worth while. 



Transportation Requirements of Rural Communities in Massachusetts. 



(Alfred A. Brown and Elaine P. Miller.) The second part of this study was 

 completed during the past year. The results of the analysis of milk trucking 

 operations have been put to use in the principal dairy areas of the State. Daily 

 truck mileage involved in moving milk from farms to plants had been 23,897. 

 Following the study and conference with the industry this was reduced to 21,458 

 with a net saving of slightly over 10 percent. 



A Study of Farm Real Estate Taxation, Methods of Taxation Reform, and the 

 Effect of Such Measures on Farm Income. (Elaine P. Miller, Alfred A. Brown, 

 and Judith E. Rosenthal.) The transcription of tax and assessment records on 

 farms in the "Sampling Study" and on a selected group of dairy farms has been 

 under waj-. About two-thirds of the records are in. Preliminary analyses have 

 been made only for dairy farms and an extremely wide range exists between 

 towns in valuations of livestock; cows from $40 to $125, chickens from 50 cents 

 to $1.25, and horses from $25 to $200. 



Other indications are that real estate will show much variation in assessment; 

 that there will be little uniformity between real estate taxes paid and personal 

 property taxes paid; that there will be little if any relationship in 1944 between 

 size of farm (in acres) and amount of tax paid. 



Development of Statistical Data as Controls to Livestock Production Program. 



(Alfred A. Brown, Elaine P. Miller, and Judith E. Rosenthal.) All three phases 

 of field work in connection with this study have received much attention. The 

 checking of maps, identification of farm locations, and collection of pertinent 

 data on them have been completed for five counties. Classification of data has 

 been advanced to the point necessarx- to permit selection of dairy farms. 



