THE MILK QUESTIOX. 43 



come from each dairy. That is one of the things which I 

 have endeavored to iind out, and been the least successful 

 about. I will not attempt to give even an approximate idea 

 of the return per quart of milk under the system, but I know 

 about how much butter may be expected from a given quan- 

 tity of milk, and hence by obtaining the amount of money 

 received for cream atxthe different factories tlirough the year, 

 I can get at the matter nearer than in any other way. My 

 recollection is that the returns during the last year on cream 

 have been upwards of thirty cents an inch at Hatfield, and at 

 Easthampton about the same — in the neighborhood of from 

 thirty-one to thirty-two cents per inch of cream. 



Mr. Warner. Those unfortunate people who sell milk 

 for the Boston market don't know what you mean by " an 

 inch of cream." 



Mr. Alvord. This inch of cream, as paid for by the fac- 

 tory, means an inch in depth on any can which gives one 

 hundred and thirteen cubic inches. Now, one hundred and 

 fifteen cubic inches is two quarts of cream, and one hundred 

 and ten cubic inches, in the experience of the factories, gives 

 a pound of butter. Hence, persons who have received 

 thirty-one or thirty-two cents an inch for their cream have 

 been receiving about thirty-three cents a pound for their 

 butter, and, as nearly as I can ascertain, the average has 

 been about eleven quarts of milk to the pound of butter. 

 Hence, as nearly as I can get at it, the patrons of these but- 

 ter fjictories have recqived three cents a quart for their milk, 

 and had all their milk left sweet on their hands besides. 



Mr. Shepard of Westfield. I Avould like to ask the 

 speaker whether he considers it profitable to feed ensilage 

 to cows? 



Mr. Alvord. The gentleman inquires in a very broad 

 way about ensilage. I should have to ask for the appoint- 

 ment of another meeting, and a very liberal time allowed for 

 the discussion, and some six or eight mcjuths in which to 

 satisfy myself on the subject, before attempting to answer 

 the question. So far I believe that the silo is a convenient 

 thing to have, and it can be used to advantage during the 

 season, and the stuff which you take out of it will answer 

 very generally the place of roots in the ration of a milch 



