64 



NEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



Feb. 



During October and November, thirty-four 

 cents were allowed, and thirty-eight cents per 

 can for the other four winter months — throw- 

 ing the hard month of April into the summer 

 range of three cents per quart, city measure. 

 It was said that though the milk might be 

 sweet when delivered, the dealers returned it 

 to the farmers if it soured on the way. 



And yet all these matters of price, all these 

 terms and conditions, changes and altera- 

 tions, were arranged and made by the dealers 

 alone. The producer had no voice in the matter, 

 no part in the discussion, no hand in the bargain, 

 save that of unconditional acceptance or rejec- 

 tion — of keeping his milk or taking the price 

 "ready made," for him. 



The opinion was expressed by several mem- 

 bers, and apparently acquiesced in by the con- 

 vention, that the consumer paid enough for his 

 milk. The trouble is that by some means a 

 fair proportion of the money paid by the con- 

 sumer did not reach the farmer who owned, 

 fed and milked the cows. It was stated that 

 on one route a can of milk was worth thirty- 

 one cents at the upper end, and sixty-eight 

 cents at the lower end. The fact that the 

 middle-men in some of their contracts with 

 the railroad corporations had secured the ex- 

 clusive privilege of transporting milk over cer- 

 tain portions of their roads was assigned as 

 one of the reasons for this undue difference 

 between the price obtained by the farmer and 

 that which was paid by the city family. 



While the convention, therefore, disclaimed 



any wish or disposition to increase the cost of 



milk to the consumer, a very strong desire was 



expressed that a better quality than that now 



furnished to them should be supplied. To 



effect this object various plans were suggested, 



and the following resolution was unanimously 



adopted : — 



Resolved, That we respectfully Invite the City 

 Government to appoint a thorough chemist as 

 City Milk Inspector. 



At the close of the forenoon session, a call 

 for signatures to the constitution was made, 

 and we understood that seventy-five different 

 towns were represented. The election of offi- 

 cers made at the last meeting was then unani- 

 mously confirmed, as follows : — 



Pregident— layman Belknap, of Wcetboro'. 

 Vice Presidents — J. UoberUon.of Qulncy; L.Crosby, 

 of Billcrici; Dea. Oto. Bhute. of Dcrry, N. H. 

 Secretary— D. Kound», of North Wrentham. 

 Treasurer— S. H. M. Hurd, of Wayland. 

 Directors— "W . 8. Pillsbury, of Londonderry, N. H. ; 



C. A. Hubbard, of Concord, Maes. ; Hammon Reed, of 

 Lexington, Mass. ; Ellas Colburn, Temple, N. H. ; C. H. 



Hafktll, Harvard, Mass.; Gen. Nason, Hanipton 



Falls, N. H. ; Samuel Osgood, Sterling, Maba. ; Wm. 

 Rarasdell, Milford, N. H. 



These gentlemen also constitute the Execu- 

 tive Committee ; in other words, the men who 

 are expected to do the work of the Associa- 

 tion. 



In the afternoon, after the transaction of 

 business, some time was spent in an informal 

 but animated conversation. The anomalous 

 condition of the farmer, as a deeply interested 

 but utterly silent partner in the great milk 

 supplying business, was depicted in strong and 

 somewhat indignant language. 



The liberality and fairness of the convention 

 was, however, manifested by a unanimous 

 vote to allow Mr. J. D. Brown, of Concord, 

 Mass., to express his views. For the past 

 twenty-three years Mr. Brown has acted as 

 "middle-man," — or as he considered himself, 

 an agent, — between the farmers of that sec- 

 tion and the milkmen of the city. He thought 

 there was much misapprehension on the part 

 of farmers in relation to the profits on milk after 

 it left their hands. Until the late.rise in prices, 

 he had received for freight and commission, four 

 cents per can of seven large quarts, and since 

 "the doubling up" of prices, five and one-half 

 cents per can. He stated that the common 

 price of milk in Boston is now eight cents per 

 small quart. He himself was a milk producer, 

 as well as middle-man ; had not got rich from 

 his long service in either capacity ; had deliver- 

 ed milk to a large number of distributers in the 

 city, and while some had succeeded, others had 

 failed in the business, and he thought the 

 farmers of Concord and vicinity made money 

 as fast as himself or the city peddlers. If this 

 Association could devise any fairer way than 

 the present for doing the business, he was wil- 

 ling to stand aside. For some months past the 

 supply of milk on his route had exceeded the 

 demand, and he had been obliged to refuse to 

 take all that was offered. He had also in 

 some cases transported and delivered milk in 

 cans for farmers who desired him to do so, for 

 which he charged three to four cents per can. 

 In such cases the farmers provided for its dis- 

 tribution in the city themselves. 



During his remarks, Mr. Brown gave way 

 frequently to members who asked questions 

 and controverted some of his positions, to 

 whom he respectfully replied, though he may 



