Town Millt. 
97 
InciTase, and the inotliods of transinittinq; milk with safety arc 
improved, so no doubt we may expeet an extension of the trade 
between the London milk dealer and the country dairy farmer. 
The latter cannot sjenerally make more than Id. a g-allon by 
cheese or butter and pork or bacon; and if the London milk 
dealer will g-ive that or a little more at a distant railway station, 
it mav be for tlu; interest of the i'armer to jjivc up the expense 
and labour of dairy manaijement, and in their place incur the 
risks and costs of a new and unaccustomed trade. The exchange 
has not always been satisfactory : for until, by cooling- the milk 
before starting and by perfectly filling the cans and cari-ying^ 
them without excessive shaking, the liabilities to souring and 
spoiling on the road have been diminished or avoided, great 
losses, especially in hot weather, have been and will be suffered. 
I say nothing here of other risks which interfere with the 
extension of this trade — the risk of bad debts which the farmer 
runs and the risk of adulterated milk which the dealer runs — for 
these are common to all commercial dealings. A London whole- 
sale cowkeeper will receive from his customer who comes to his 
cowhouse and milks his cows 'id. or Ad. an imperial gallon 
more than the farmer will receive for country milk delivered, 
with all its charges paid, at the London terminus ; not only 
because it is the produce of specially fed cows and perfectly 
fresh, but because it is certain to be unadulterated. I was told 
the other day by a London milkman that every barn gallon of 
such milk as his would " bear " a quart of water without any 
chance of the adulteration being detected by an ordinary con- 
sumer ; and he had known that quart put in before the milk had 
left the country farm on its railway journey. The mere risk of 
such dishonesty is enough to lower the market value of the 
article to dealers, who probably would rather benefit by some 
such dilution than suffer from it. 
I add from the information laid by Mr. Brooks of the London 
and North Western Railway before the Milk Committee of the 
Society of Arts the following particulars ; which, being indicative 
of the management of the traffic on that one railway, are instruc- 
tive on the subject of the railway milk traffic generally. 
The milk is brought to Euston Square from all railway stations 
between London and Northampton ; being conveyed (in cans 
provided by the senders) on open carriage trucks. The charge 
for a distance not exceeding 100 miles is \^d. per imperial 
gallon, and when the distance exceeds 100 miles 2^. per gallon. 
When the great increase in the traffic commenced, milk was 
sent up from places 180 and 200 miles distant — from Hud- 
dersfield, Macclesfield, &c. The greatest distance from which 
milk is sent now is about 95 miles. The carriages which 
are used for the conveyance of the milk are as well constructed 
VOL, lY. — S. S. H 
