56 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



delivery. But if milk that arrives iu the city about ten 

 o'clock in the morning could be at once run through the 

 mixer b}^ the wholesalers, then taken by the pedlers and de- 

 livered to the consumers at two or three o'clock in the after- 

 noon nearly all consumers could get milk drawn from the 

 cow that morning. The fashion of a morning delivery adds 

 some fifteen hours to its age. Those who can get the con- 

 sumers' attention can do good work by educating public 

 sentiment in the city toward an afternoon delivery of milk. 



The professor has alluded to another thing which we should 

 consider. He has mentioned the possibility of the boards of 

 health moving this winter for legislation looking to a more 

 careful supervision of the milk supply. I am on record as 

 favoring that. In a paper read before this Board in Daltou 

 I said: "There should be some system of inspection of 

 herds supplying cities with milk, which should take cogni- 

 zance not only of the health of the animals but of the cleanli- 

 ness of the stable, the amount of air and sunlight it receives, 

 and the care of the milk before leaving the farm. . . . This 

 inspection should go so far as to include the existence of 

 contagious diseases among those who have the handling of 

 milk and milk utensils." But I added : " There should be 

 nothing about such a law or its enforcement that would sub- 

 ject the farmers to any undue hardship or to annoyance from 

 any arbitrary martinet. It would be well if the agitation 

 should be commenced by the farmers themselves, not only 

 to show that they are Interested in the quality of the product 

 they sell, but to insure legislation in sympathy with them, 

 and to see that the enforcement of the law is in the hands of 

 their friends. Such legislation is sure to come, and if the 

 farmers are prominent in securing it, it may be more satis- 

 factory to them than if it is forced upon them." 



Though the boards of health have now taken the initiative, 

 yet the farmers should be consulted. The legislation to be 

 asked should if possible be agreed upon in advance by the 

 health interests and the producing interests. The result may be 

 a measure a little less radical than some extremists would like, 

 but it will be an advance step, one which will be workable, 

 one which will meet with no serious opposition in the Legis- 

 lature, and one which \vill be followed by no adverse reaction. 



