THE DAIEY. 305 



plains and pay them for their ponies, guns and blankets. 

 There were some pretty shrewd men among these milk ped- 

 dlers ; they were like the lady who loved her husband, but 

 loved another man, twice as well. They would sell their 

 milk route to the association, and then they would sell their 

 best customers to some other peddler. We were wise 

 enough to take some precaution. We made the peddlers sign 

 an agreement that they would not interfere, directly or indi- 

 rectly, with our business for two years. There were two or 

 three young men who were minors, and they actually took 

 advantage of the law, and said, "We are not holdeu by 

 any contract," and they went directly out and sold milk to 

 persons living on the route that they had sold to us. 



But here is an item that is of considerable importaEce. 

 We get our money for what milk goes to the association. 

 There have been thousands of dollars absolutely lost by 

 the farmers in selling milk to men who were not responsi- 

 ble ; and when farmers tell how much a peddler gives for 

 milk, if they do not look out, they do not tell it just as it 

 is, because the majority, or at least a large percentage, of 

 the peddlers are not responsible. They will buy milk of a 

 farmer until they run in debt perhaps $50 the first month, 

 and $50 the next, and the next ; and the first thing he knows 

 they have disappeared, or if not, they have no property, 

 and the farmer has lost his money. They lose by dishonest 

 peddlers running away and leaving large unpaid bills, so 

 that when a farmer says he gets three and a half cents a 

 quart from a peddler, perhaps he has one, two or three hun- 

 dred dollars to take out of that, of actual loss, in one lump. 



Mr. Myrick. I understand that your association takes 

 all the milk its patrons make and Avorks up its surplus into 

 butter. 



Mr. Brooks. That was a great consideration in going 

 into this association. I had milk left on my hands when it 

 was not worth a cent a quart. I had no way of making but- 

 ter, and I did not want to be bothered with providing means 

 for making butter. 



Mr. Root. Your association attempts to supply Spring- 

 field with milk ; do you believe that it is practicable for the 



