MARKET MILK 185 



management on the average farm devoted to the production of 

 milk. The amount of milk produced to a cow is frequently so 

 low as to reflect seriously upon the business ability of the owner. 

 A producer who makes no systematic effort to lower the cost of 

 production by increasing the average production of milk per 

 cow is entitled to little sympathy if he finds the business un- 

 profitable. The profits yielded by a good cow often go to offset 

 losses caused by poor cows in the same stable. The keeping of 

 records of production of each individual in the herd, the elimi- 

 nation of unprofitable cows, the improvement of the herd through 

 selection of the best producers and breeding them to a bull of 

 dairy merit, and the selection of the best heifers from such 

 breeding are necessary to put milk production on a sound 

 basis. Unless the producer does these things he disregards 

 the fundamental principles of business economy, and it is un- 

 reasonable for such a man to expect the consumer to pay him 

 a profit on business practices which represent such economic 

 waste. There is no good excuse for slack business methods 

 on the dairy farm. Directions for keeping records of milk 

 yields and cost of production are furnished by every State 

 agricultural college and by the United States Department of 

 iVgriculture. 



GKADING OF MILK AND CREAM 



Until recently, but little progress was made toward sepa- 

 rating market milk and cream into grades on the basis of sani- 

 tary or market value, but now there is a general movement 

 in this direction, and several cities and some states have es- 

 tablished definite grades chiefly on the basis of sanitary quality. 

 This is in harmony with business practice in other lines, and a 

 good system of grading will do much to insure the milk-producer 

 being paid on the basis of the quality of his product. It will 

 also make it possible for the consumer to purchase the grade 



