CHAP. vii. ADULTERATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF MILK. 347 



To say that a person shall be punished for selling adulterated milk, 

 and then to leave the definition of what is, and what is not, pure milk 

 to experts and magistrates who possibly may differ considerably in 

 their views upon the subject is hardly fair to the producer. It is, 

 however, much more easy to point out the objections to the present 

 S}' stem than to suggest a remed}'. Assuming it is desirable that a 

 standard should be fixed defining what is pure milk the question then 

 arises, What is the standard to be ? If it were fixed very low, so as to 

 include the poorest milk ever produced, the result would be that all milk 

 would be diluted down to that standard. If on the other hand a high 

 standard were fixed, it would necessarily exclude some very poor, but 

 yet genuine milk. 



" Let it be assumed that a certain quality of milk was agreed upon, b3 r 

 producers and experts, as a fair average to represent genuine milk, and 

 that this was declared to be the standard. The result would be that 

 those who were so inclined would be enabled to keep cows yielding a 

 very high qualit3 r of milk, as it would no longer be an offence to dilute 

 such milk to the fixed standard. On the other hand, why should not 

 other qualities of milk be sold, provided the seller stated the amount 

 of dilution to which they were subject ? 



" Another part of the milk trade which required some reform was the 

 large cost incurred in the distribution of the milk, which affects it 

 seriousty as a cheap food. The sky blue liquid which used to be sold 

 in London had no pretensions to be called a food, but genuine milk 

 were it not for the cost of distribution would be a very cheap food, 

 especially for the young, and although milk is not so well adapted as 

 meat to be the food of grown up people, it is a perfect food for children, 

 and at the same time very much cheaper than meat. 



" Supposing the police regulations would admit of such a proceeding, if 

 milk instead of being sent up to its destination in churns, could be con- 

 veyed by rail in a tank upon wheels, it might be sold direct to the 

 consumers with very little addition to the cost of production, and it 

 would thus become a staple article of food to the poor. If the demand 

 for milk is to keep pace with the increased supply some such process 

 must be adopted, and the producer and the consumer must be brought 

 together without the intervention of the middle man. Mayfair and 

 Belgravia may still continue to receive their daily supply through the 

 middle man, if such be their wish, but the time is come when an effort 

 should be made to furnish the teeming population of the Metropolis 

 with cheap milk as a portion of their daily sustenance." 



The important subject here discussed by Sir John Lawes possesses 

 an equal interest in the United States. There appear, indeed, to be 

 fair grounds for asserting that, the time is near when, in the States, all 

 milk will be closely graded when it reaches the market, and every lot 

 sold on its merits, the basis being the total solids. As a matter of 

 fact, this process is already in operation in the discriminating market of 

 Philadelphia, where Mr. G. Abbott adopted it some years ago. In buy- 

 ing milk he makes three grades : milk from registered Jersey and 

 registered Guernsey herds he denominates grade A ; that from herds of 



