Agricultural Research in N. H. 19 



This study of seasonal pricing and supplies was initiated a few months 

 ago as part of the interregional program in dairy marketing organized with- 

 in the last year by the North Central and Northeastern agricultural experi- 

 ment stations. The object of the present study is to determine the reasons 

 for the degree and type of seasonal variation found in deliveries in indivi- 

 dual plants, and to relate them to the seasonal price plans in use and to the 

 motivation of a dairyman's seasonal production pattern. 



Monthly data have been collected for a number of plants in the Con- 

 necticut and Merrimack Valleys. Computation and analysis are now in 

 progress. For illustrative purposes some preliminary results from the analy- 

 sis of a plant may be interesting. 



Net seasonal movement; June as a percentage of November: (trend removed) 



Almost without interruption, from one year to the next, seasonality of 

 average daily deliveries per producer increased. This is shown in the ac- 

 companying table by the rising percentage of June deliveries over those of 

 November. In the first year of the depression, deliveries at this plant were 

 contrary to the normal seasonal movement. The seasonal movement of 

 blended prices was irregular during the period. The figures in the table show 

 the extremes in seasonality. The fact that November prices were lower than 

 June prices in the early 1930s may have been an important factor in rever- 

 sing the seasonal variation of deliveries and of increasing it in the latter part 

 of the decade. The reduction in the seasonal spread of blended prices in 

 wartime, after correction for subsidy, apparently tended to increase the sea- 

 sonal variation of the volume of individual dairymen. 



W. Bredo, J. C. Holmes 



Milk Transportation at Colebrook 



In July, 1946, information was obtained in the Colebrook milkshed con- 

 cerning the operation of the Colebrook plan of milk transportation which 

 had been developed four years earlier and had been administered by the 

 O.D.T. It was found that several factors had changed the operation of the 

 plan. Greater seasonal variation in the amount of milk had resulted in a 

 large volume of milk in June; as a result, additional trucks were necessary 

 lor short periods to supplement several routes. The milkshed area also was 

 expanded, requiring additional routes totaling 95 miles. In the five years, 

 there was an astounding number of changes in producers and their locations. 

 For example, of the 308 producers who shipped milk on April 30, 1942, only 

 175, or 57 per cent of the original number, were in the market on June 15, 

 1946. The total number of producers located in the original milkshed had 

 fallen to 272. 



The O.D.T. administration was highly successful in reducing the daily 

 mileage on the main routes, but at no time was it possible to achieve the full 

 reduction indicated in the original plan. Soon after the restrictions on the 



