THIRTY-SIXTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. 73 



while to pay attention to this care of milk from a financial stand" 

 point. 



But there is another side to all this, a side quite as important 

 and even far more reaching. I am referring here to the relation 

 of the quality and care of milk to the health and life of th0 

 human family, and this brings us to the producers' responsibility, 

 and I beheve you will agree with me when I say every farm as- 

 sociation or corporation that is producing and selling any article 

 of human food becomes responsible to a greater or lesser extent 

 for the life and health of the human family. Milk is probably 

 one of those foods which is used to the greatest possible extent. 

 There is perhaps no other food article that is used as much in our 

 family diet as milk. It is estimated and also statistics show it 

 that the average consumption of milk amounts to about 7-10 of 

 a pound per day. Every man, woman and child drink about two- 

 thirds of a pint. This figure stands for milk as milk only. It 

 does not stand for butter, cheese, ice cream or other dairy pro- 

 ducts. If you figure that in, it will be greatly in excess of this 

 figure. When we consider that the bulk of all the milk that is 

 used for direct consumption goes into food for our babies, those 

 helpless little ones, whose source of nourishment this milk is, 

 when we consider that these little ones are less able to take care 

 of milk that is unclean, these little ones are very susceptible, their 

 delicate constitutions cannot long withstand these weakening in- 

 fluences, then we may be in a position to realize and appreciate 

 the enormous responsibility the dairyman assumes when he sells 

 milk. 



It has been reported that about one-fourth of the infants in 

 our large cities die before they reach the age of five years, and 

 we have fairly good evidence that one of the chief causes of this 

 high death rate is the poor condition of the milk when it reaches 

 these city families. It reaches them in many cases not fit to be 

 used as human food. The importance of this subject, — and if 

 you have children of your own you will appreciate these facts, — 

 the importance of this subject is of such magnitude that no self- 

 respecting dairyman can afford to ignore it. The dairyman is 

 holding in his hands the life and health of the coming generation. 



