Part II.] INIARKETING INIILK AND CREAM. 163 



milk, cream, butter and cheese consumed in New England, — 

 plus the nightmare of selling milk by the can without regard 

 to test. 



I feel consistent in saying that in the present condition of 

 society and commerce I know of no better way of marketing 

 milk than the one pursued by the association to which I 

 belong, subject at all times to such improvements in detail 

 as may be suggested. If I knew of a better way I should be 

 after it. It will, then, be proper for me to set forth our 

 methods of marketing milk for the producers. 



In imitation of the great Csesar, I will divide the duties of 

 our concern into three parts, and in true orthodoxical and 

 paradoxical fashion the last shall be first. 



First. — Obtaining a fair market price for the milk. 



Second. — Financing and conducting the operations from pro- 

 ducers to consumers. 



Third. — Distributing to producers their fair share of the 

 proceeds. 



]\Iaking the selling price is perhaps the highest responsibility 

 the milk dealer assumes. One casts about to see what others 

 are selhng milk for, — what the market price seems to be. 

 This is not the easiest thing to be determined. The situation 

 is pretty well known and needs no comments from me. Then 

 you take into account the present and prospective supply avail- 

 able; also, if you are a large dealer, you think about the sub- 

 stitutes which are in competition with your milk. The moral 

 effect on the consuming public of insistent demands from pro- 

 ducers for increased returns is a very important bracer for your 

 price maker. When the matters are all gone over you have 

 got to make your decision. Our association manufactures but- 

 ter and casein from its surplus cream and skim. For 1916 the 

 pounds of butter made were a little short of a million, while the 

 pounds of casein were a little short of half a million. This, of 

 course, is the least profitable part of the business; and for this 

 reason we pay a smaller price to producers or small dealers who 

 turn over to us only their surplus, and have no milk for us 

 when we need it most. The trade we cherish is for cream, milk 

 and skim milk. In making a price list I like to have the prices 

 of these articles entirely consistent throughout, — a composite 



