44 MILK SUPPLY 



winter, during the time of low supply, and to drop prices very 

 close to those of creameries and cheese factories in summer, 

 during the flush of the milk producing season. Nardin 1 , assem- 

 bled comparative milk prices paid by condenseries and cream- 

 eries and cheese factories in the four main condensed milk-pro- 

 ducing sections of this country, Illinois, New r York and Penn- 

 sylvania, Wisconsin, and the Pacific Coast States, for the years 

 1914 to 1918 inclusive. These prices have been summarized in 

 the following table. They show that in some instances condensery 

 prices exceeded creamery and cheese factory prices by over one 

 dollar, while there were times in summer when condensery prices 

 even dropped slightly below creamery and cheese factory prices. 

 Formerly condensery prices were announced by the respect- 

 ive concerns from three to six months in advance. Of late 

 years this practice has been more and more abandoned and quo- 

 tations are issued in advance for one month only. The Midwest 

 Milk Manufacturers, representing the milk dealers, market milk 

 plants and condenseries in the Chicago milk district and the 

 middle western states, confer on the price to be paid for milk 

 for the succeeding month, toward the close of the preceding 

 month, and announce these prices for the coming month. 



Generally speaking, and as Nardin points out, ''the price 

 in Illinois is subject to prices of fresh milk distributed in Chi- 

 cago and St. Louis. Prices in New York and Pennsylvania 

 have been subject to the influences of the New York Dairymen's 

 League, and the price of fresh milk for distribution in the City 

 of New York. The Wisconsin price is most largely influenced 

 by butter and cheese prices. The Pacific Coast is, on account 

 of freight rates, somewhat isolated from the rest of the coun- 

 try, and the production of evaporated milk on the coast has been 

 larger in proper to the demands for fresh milk for distribu- 

 tion in coast territory, than perhaps in any other part of the 

 country." 



The milk condenseries, as a whole, have been slow in adopt- 

 ing the butterfat content of milk as their basis for payment. 

 Even up to a few years ago most condenseries were paying 

 for the milk on the one hundred weight basis and some factories 



1 Nardin, Wm. T., Memorandum on Federal Trade Investigation of Milk 

 Manufacturers, 1918. 



