78 THE MARKETING OF WHOLE MILK 



cated and require frequent adjustment. The most usual 

 contractual relation between producer and dealer is one 

 which provides that the dealer is to take all of the milk 

 produced during a given period of time. Prior to the 

 present unsettled conditions arising out of the war the 

 most usual contract period was for six months. Commonly 

 one six months' period included the winter months and 

 the other six months' period the summer months. During 

 the past two or three years, however, neither producers 

 nor dealers have as a rule been willing to contract for 

 longer periods than one or two months at a time. Though 

 there are often no definite contracts, the large dealers 

 usually ask their patrons to sign agreements going some- 

 what into detail as to number of cows supplying the milk 

 purchased, method of handling milk, method and con- 

 dition of delivery, and prices. Recently in many cases 

 contractual relations have been established between pro- 

 ducers and a selling agency of their own, which in turn 

 contracts with the city dealer. This development will 

 be further discussed in the chapter on Cooperation. 



The financial relations between farmers and dealers 

 have been the cause of frequent contention. Payments 

 are usually made once or twice each month, more fre- 

 quently the latter, although in the case of many of the 

 large plants, payments are made but once each month. 

 With many of the latter there is a tendency to postpone 

 payment long enough after the half month or month has 

 elapsed to allow for the making up of all the statements 

 of the numerous patrons. Consequently many of these 

 concerns do not pay until two or three weeks after the last 

 delivery has been made under a given pay period. One 

 such company, for example, pays on the twentieth of the 

 following month. The claim is made that were payments 



