No. 4.] SANITAEY MILK. 115 



ers are honest. When they say it is all right, it is all right. 

 You get some milk from the town of Belchertown, where I 

 live ; if I went home and told the farmers to get their milk 

 out good and clean and nice, so there are less than 10,000 

 bacteria in it per c. c, will you give them more for their 

 milk ? Can I go home and say to them that you will give 

 them a bigger price ? 



Mr. Allen. I do think this : that, if the public have 

 a guarantee, as you might say, that this milk is better 

 inspected, that these farms are open to inspection, all the 

 handling of the product is open to inspection, that it is 

 regularly inspected, perhaps, something that is guaranteed 

 to them, we would get a better price for milk. I think 

 there is no question about it but the thing to-day is a gigan- 

 tic sham. While we have some good farmers who do it 

 nearly right, we have, I am sorry to say, a great many who 

 are very shiftless about it. And it isn't right. I know this 

 is quite contrary to the general farmer's idea. He hates to 

 be driven ; he hates to have any authority on his own plan- 

 tation tell him he must put up a partition, or clean out every 

 day, or sweep the cobwebs down once a year, or do some- 

 thing of that sort. It is right against the grain of the New 

 England farmer, for if there is anything that he is lord over, 

 it is the square acres of land he owns and operates. But it 

 is as Mr. Dawley says : we know that by carefully handling 

 the product and minimizing the bacteria it is more healthful, 

 particularly so to babies. Of course we old fellows who are 

 hardened to it can eat a good deal of bacteria of different 

 kinds, and it won't affect us ; but the children, with their 

 susceptibility to diseases of all kinds, cannot do this. It is 

 very important to them, and I believe the people are ready 

 to pay for it. Dr. Rose told me yesterday that he was in- 

 terested in a milk company in the eastern part of the State, 

 and that they are getting 6 cents a quart for the milk, and 

 they furnish the producers 5 cents, and 6 cents where accu- 

 rately inspected ; and the people are willing to pay 10 cents. 

 I think the people of Si^ringfield, if they are absolutely sure 

 they are getting just that quality of milk, would ))c willing 

 to pay for it ; but who can guarantee that quality? 



