MILK-PLANT OPERATION. 
33 
dealers seem to favor the method of dumping all returns and dis- 
posing of the cream for butter and ice-cream purposes. A second 
grade of buttermilk obtained by making butter from this cream can 
also be disposed of to bakeries. In this way returns are handled at 
small expense, and the danger of old milk going out to the trade from 
this source is eliminated. Using returned milk a second time on 
delivery wagons is a practice to be discouraged. 
Among the methods used to keep the returned goods as low as 
possible are the following: 
Use the quantity of goods returned by the route salesman as one of the points on 
which his commission is based. This, however, should be counterbalanced by a 
commission on sales so that there will be an incentive for the driver to take out enough 
to supply his customers. 
Give prizes of diffierent amounts each month to drivers who return the least during 
the month. 
Require drivers to pay 1 cent per bottle for all goods returned above 6 per cent of 
that taken out. 
SHRINKAGE IN HANDLING MILK. 
The shrinkage of milk in handling is an important item and every 
effort should be made to keep it as low as possible. The following 
table gives the shrinkage for a series of days at three plants. 
Table 11. — Shrinkage of milk at city plants. 
Daily 
receipts 
at plant. 
Quantity 
bottled. 
Daily loss. 
Plant No. 1 
Gallons. 
1,221 
1,000 
1,200 
1,100 
Gallons. 
1,184 
976 
1,162 
1,071 
Gallons. 
37 
24 
38 
29 
Per cent. 
3.0 
2.4 
3.2 
2.6 
Average 
1,130 
• 1,098 
32 
2.8 
Plant No. 2 
1,324 
1,295 
1,492 
1,395 
1,299 
1,274 
1,468 
1,385 
25 
21 
24 
10 
1.9 
1.6 
1.6 
.7 
Average 
1,376 
1,356 
20 
1.4 
Plant No. 3 
1,049 
1,021 
1,087 
1,004 
979 
1,046 
45 
42 
41 
4.3 
4.1 
3.8 
Average 
1,052 
1,009 
43 
4. 1 
At one small plant where the milk was received by weight and pas- 
teurized in a vat the loss in pasteurizing and bottling was as follows: 
Quarts. 
Milk received, 1,254 pounds 583 
Received from filler 572 
Shrinkage 11 
or 1.9 per cent. 
As the milk was received by weight, this loss was nearly all due to 
carelessness. By taking special care for one day, the plant operator 
was able to reduce the shrinkage to 0.53 per cent. This was the actual 
loss in pasteurizing and bottling when the milk was handled carefully. 
