POSTWAR READJUSTMENTS IN AGRICULTURE 27 



World War the number of cows increased by about this percentage during the 

 first 5-year period. Conditions now are fully as favorable as in that earlier period. 

 The technological improvements in the care of land, better and cheaper fertili- 

 zers and seeds, and the consequent development of Massachusetts grasslands to 

 a higher degree of productivity should provide a firm basis on the side of produc- 

 tion. As for demand, Massachusetts producers for a number of years have been 

 supplying only about 50 percent of the total State requirements for fluid milk. 

 Shipment for longer distances and the introduction of new products such as 

 powdered and frozen milk, if acceptable to consumers, could undoubtedly make 

 further inroads on the domestic market. The only way for the Massachusetts 

 dairy industry to maintain its position is to take full advantage of efficiency of 

 production. This will include not only the measures already indicated, but also 

 the introduction of labor-saving devices throughout the whole process of the 

 production and distribution of milk. Recent experiments with so-called fast 

 milking methods indicate that this alone leads to considerable economies in the 

 cost of labor. 



To achieve lower costs in milk production, the size of herds on individual farms 

 will have to be brought in line with available labor and other resources. The 

 comparative distribution in the size of herds between 1935 and 1942 indicates 

 that there is already a movement on foot to reduce the number of small units 

 with a corresponding increase in full-sized family herds and larger units. 



Table 5. — Dairy Cows in Massachusetts by Size of Herds. 



From animal inspection books. 



In the field of marketing, many savings are possible and desirable, beginning 

 with assembly and transportation of milk to the central point. Studies in Mass- 

 achusetts and other states indicate that there is considerable waste and duplica- 

 tion, much of which could be eliminated by more careful planning. Likewise the 

 distribution of milk with its duplication of routes is a fertile field for possible 

 economies. Every-other-day delivery, introduced in wartime, offers another 

 opportunity for saving in the cost of di.stribution. All these factors are alread> 

 well known to both producers and distributors, and the main problem is unwilling- 

 ness to adopt new practices. The initiative for such action may well come from 



