APPENDIX E 227 



Milk has always been a staple article of consumption with all 

 classes, and is among the best and cheapest foods on the market. 

 The large cities of southern New England would naturally look to 

 the adjoining territory for their supply. This territory (northern 

 and central New England) is well able to support a flourishing dairy 

 industry and dairying should naturally be the largest single 

 branch of New England agriculture, our greatest single industry. 



Generally speaking the per capita consumption of milk in the 

 United States has been steadily increasing; but in certain districts 

 of New England the per capita consumption has been decreasing 

 for the past ten years, and the amount required has been drawn 

 from a larger and larger territory, and from districts more and more 

 remote. 



In short, despite the increase in our urban population, the output 

 of the principal agricultural industry in the immediate adjoining 

 territory has declined. Country districts, which ought to be flour- 

 ishing, are at a standstill. No one has appeared to understand the 

 cause of the difficulty, or to have comprehensive ideas for its solu- 

 tion. 



The Committee on Agriculture of the Boston Chamber of Com- 

 merce, in view of this situation and at the request of the New Eng- 

 land Milk Producers Association (an organization of about 2,000 

 New England farmers), has made this investigation in the hope of 

 being able to throw a strong light upon the fundamental causes of 

 the difficulty and of being able to work out suggestions for its solu- 

 tion. This investigation has been conducted in cooperation with 

 the agricultural agencies of the various New England States. The 

 Federal Department of Agriculture also has rendered assistance in 

 the transportation features. 



It appeared necessary, first, to obtain exact facts as to conditions 

 now existing in New England regarding production, transportation, 

 inspection, grading and distribution; second, to make a thorough 

 analysis of this information, studying the methods adopted by rail- 

 roads and cities elsewhere; third, to make, if possible, recommenda- 

 tions helpful in putting the industry on a sound basis. 



The report has two divisions. The first outlines the present 

 conditions in each phase of the industry, undertaking to give the 

 reader a mental picture of how milk and cream are produced, 



