PART II. 

 CITY MILK SUPPLY. 



CHAPTER IV. 



EXTENT AND IMPORTANCE OF THIS INDUSTRY. 



The distribution of fresh milk to the consumer is an in- 

 dustry of great economic and hygienic importance. Its 

 vastness is indicated by the following statistics gathered 

 by the United States Department of Agriculture: The 

 American people consume annually over a billion gallons 

 of milk in its natural state, the product of nearly one-third 

 of the milch cows in this country. Milk is almost as neces- 

 sary in cooking as flour. Few meals are served at which 

 milk and cream do not form a part. The following table 

 shows the daily per capita consumption of milk in 1900 

 in the fifteen largest cities of the United States.-' 



Pints. 



New York, N. Y 660 



Chicago, 111 7S8 



Philadelphia, Pa 466 



St. Louis, Mo 409 



Boston, Mass i . 172 



Baltimore, Md 393 



Cleveland, Ohio 482 



Buffalo, N. Y 704 



San Francisco, Cal 630 



Cincinnati, Ohio 614 



Pittsburgh, Pa 746 



New Orleans, La 275 



Detroit, Mich 700 



Milwaukee, Wis 691 



Washington, D. C 344 



1 U. S. Dept. of Agr., Div. of Statistics, Bui. 25. 

 27 



