46 MILK SUPPLY 



were still clinging to the custom of buying milk by the quart, 

 using the yardstick for remnant cans. Other factories paid a 

 stated price per hundred weight for all milk testing say 4 per 

 cent fat and over and made corresponding reductions for milk 

 containing less than 4 per cent fat. Still others paid a premiurn, 

 for milk testing above 4 per cent fat. A few concerns only 

 bought milk on the straight butterfat basis. 



As far as the condensery is concerned it is entirely feasible 

 to pay for all milk strictly on the butterfat basis. Milk rich in 

 fat, and therefore rich in solids, yields more condensed milk than 

 milk poor in fat. To pay by the hundred weight, regardless of 

 quality is a practice which discriminates in favor of breeds of 

 low-testing milk and against breeds of high-testing milk. This 

 practice has, in fact, had the result that in the milk supply ter- 

 ritory of these condenseries the breeds and individuals of cows 

 producing low-testing milk were encouraged and developed until 

 they largely predominated, at the expense of breeds of cows pro- 

 ducing high-testing milk. This situation in turn was responsible 

 for the popular, though erroneous impression, that milk from the 

 Holstein, Ayrshire and Brown Swiss breeds is better suited for 

 milk condensing purposes than milk from the Channel Island 

 breeds. 



Within the last half decade, during which the condensed 

 milk industry has experienced SO' great a development, the great 

 majority of American condenseries have abandoned their old 

 way of paying for milk by volume, or weight .only. Many con- 

 densing concerns are now buying their milk on the straight but- 

 terfat basis and nearly all of the other condenseries pay for their 

 milk on the basis of a standard fat content, penalizing the farmer 

 by lower prices for milk that falls below a specified per cent 

 of fat, and giving him a bonus for milk in which the per cent 

 of fat is over the standard figure specified. Thus for example 

 the price quoted may apply to* 100 Ibs. of 3.5 per cent milk with 

 an added differential of say 4 cents for each one tenth per cent 

 fat above 3.5 per cent and a deducted differential of 4 cents for 

 each tenth per cent fat below 3.5 per cent. 



In countries where one breed overwhelmingly predominates 

 or where the predominating breeds all yield mil,k of similar rich- 

 ness and where the freshening of the majority of cows is fairly 



