BULLETIN 639, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

 COLLECTING AND HANDLING MILK IN THE COUNTRY. 



The milk dealers in Detroit obtained their supplies of milk and 

 cream either from individual farmers direct or through country 

 receiving and cooling stations. The smaller dealers usually gathered 

 their supplies near by, mainly because they could not afford the 

 investments in country receiving stations, through which the larger 

 dealers collect the most of their supplies from the more distant areas 

 of production. (See fig. 1 and Table IV.) Most of the supply 

 which came from neighboring territory was gathered from farms 

 by means of wagons or motor trucks owned by the city dealers. Con- 

 siderable quantities of both milk and cream were also shipped directly 

 to the city by farmers who lived near railway stations or crossroads 

 milk-shipping platforms. There was keen competition for all sup- 

 plies of milk or cream directly accessible to the city. 



In order to obtain milk from many farmers who lived too far from 

 railroad stations or shipping platforms to make direct shipping prac- 

 ticable, it was necessary to establish facilities for collecting milk 

 enough at one place to permit more economical transportation to the 

 city plant. Farmers generally do not consider it advisable to make 

 daily trips for delivering milk when the shipping station is more 

 than 5 miles away. An additional advantage of the country receiving 

 and cooling stations was that milk could be cooled to the proper tem- 

 perature before it was shipped to the city; furthermore, the inspec- 

 tion and buying of milk according to quality was expedited. When a 

 farmer watches the sampling of his milk and the making of sediment 

 and butterfat tests he understands better the justice of paying differ- 

 ent prices for different grades of milk. It often happens that dairy 

 products can be manufactured more economically in the country 

 than in the city, and for that reason the larger milk companies fre- 

 quently operate country milk plants, where the surplus not required 

 for market milk trade may be converted into other products. 



Table IV shows the quantities of market milk obtained through 

 country stations during June, 1915. 



Table IV. — Milk obtained through country stations during June, 1915. 



Number of wagons operated by dealers. 



Number 



Number 

 ofstations 

 from 

 which 

 milk was 

 received. 



Number of gallons 

 received monthly. 



Per cent 

 of total 

 shipped 

 through 

 stations. 



of dealers. 



From 

 stations. 



From 

 farms. 





55 

 11 

 2 







291, 600 

 239,005 

 153, 257 





6 to 29 



22 

 51 



356, 224 

 1, 002, 606 



59.8 



30 to 150 



86.7 



Total 







68 



73 



1,358,830 



683, 862 



66.5 



