﻿8 BULLETIN I, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



demand for certified milk. Three of these were indefinite. Only 10 

 out of this number reported that the demand was increasing rapidly ; 

 1 more stated that the demand was fair, 2 that the demand was 

 increasing steadily, 2 that there was a moderate demand, and 4 that 

 the increase was gradual. This gives a total of 19 commissions that 

 found that the demand was increasing in a satisfactory manner. 

 The other 23 answers were divided as follows : Not a rapid increase, 

 12 ; very slow, 1 ; slight increase, 2 ; slow increase, 7 ; limited, 1. 



It appears from these answers and from the results tabulated that 

 while certified milk is increasing its sphere of influence, the increase 

 is very slow, and at the present time only about one-half of 1 per 

 cent of the total milk supply of this country is certified. One com- 

 mission made the report that the demand was fairly good, but no 

 dairyman was willing to supply it. Another commission accounted 

 for the slow increase in the demand for certified milk by saying that 

 the use of certified milk was limited because of the superior quality 

 of the market milk in the city where the commission was located. 



PRICES OP CERTIFIED MILK COMPARED WITH THOSE OF MARKET MILK. 



The prices of certified milk to the consumer vary in different cities 

 from 10 to 20 cents a quart, the average price for all cities being 

 about 14.2 cents. The price of ordinary market milk in the same 

 cities varies from 5 to 12 cents a quart and averages about 7.8 cents. 

 Certified milk therefore sells for an average of 6.4 cents a quart more 

 than market milk. As a rule, where the price of market milk is low, 

 the price of certified milk is also comparatively low, although this 

 does not hold true in all cases. 



It was found in 1907 that the average price of certified milk was 

 12^ cents a quart, and the average price of market milk was 7£ cents 

 a quart. It will be seen from the foregoing figures that while the 

 average price of market milk has increased only about 0.6 of a cent a 

 quart, the average price of certified milk has increased about 2 cents 

 a quart. 



THE INFLUENCE OF CERTD7IED MILK. 



While certified milk is in a class by itself and does not enter into 

 competition with ordinary grades of market milk, it has much edu- 

 cational value in cities where it is used. There is no doubt that the 

 advertising of certified milk does much to inform consumers that 

 clean milk costs more than dirty milk and that a cheap milk is apt 

 to be dangerous. 



The influence of certified milk on dairymen in general is a little 

 more complex. Certified dairies have certainly shown how to pro- 

 duce the finest grade of milk and have served as models along this 



