38 THE MODERN MILK PROBLEM 



production prevail to a large extent, with the modern 

 disadvantages and dangers added to them. 



In this final form of milk supply the producer may have 

 no idea whatever of the final destination of his milk; and 

 the consumer, as a rule, neither knows nor cares where the 

 milk which he buys comes from. The personal relation 

 between consumer and producer is totally lost, and the 

 middleman comes to hold the position of principal impor- 

 tance, as the only person in touch with all. These circum- 

 stances, and the very size of the system, tend to make it 

 largely mechanical, and all connected with it merely sub- 

 ordinate parts in a great machine which, for good or ill, 

 must work on incessantly. . . . Under this system the milk 

 is often two days old . . . before it is actually consumed. 

 It also necessarily passes through many hands en route, and 

 is therefore accessible to manipulation, adulteration and 

 contamination. 1 



The following picture, given by Rosenau, sketches 

 verbally the situation shown graphically in Fig. 3: 



Milk when it reaches the consumer in the city is often very 

 different when compared to the same milk used on the farm. 

 The farmer cannot understand why it is that the milk agrees 

 with his baby, but makes the city baby sick. He forgets 

 that the milk he sends to the city is often placed in dirty 

 cans, perhaps rinsed with infected water or mopped " clean" 

 with soiled cloths. The cans are often placed on the farm 

 wagon and carted several miles to the nearest railroad sta- 

 tion, where they stand some time in the sun and occasionally 

 are exposed to dust, flies, and prying fingers of irresponsible 

 persons. After this they are loaded on the milk car, which is 

 perhaps warm. Arriving in the city, the cans again stand 

 around the milk platform waiting for the city wagon, when 



