1892 
5i3 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
A  Fat  Milk  Business  in  Philadelphia. 
The  milk  business  inaugurated  and  conducted  by 
George  Abbott,  of  Philadelphia,  is  probably  without  an 
imitator  and  certainly  without  a  rival  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  conducted  on  the  theory  that  his  patrons 
want  good  milk  and  are  willing  to  pay  for  it — milk  not 
only  rich  in  butter  fats,  but  free  from  all  taint,  so  far 
as  it  is  possible  for  a  rigid  oversight  of  the  producing 
herds  to  make  it.  The  success  which  has  attended  his 
enterprise  is  the  best  possible  evidence  of  the  truth  of 
his  theory. 
Mr.  Abbott  began  the  business  about  15  years  ago. 
It  has  been  uniformly  successful  and  his  average  daily 
sales  now  amount  to  about  5,000  quarts,  dry  measure, 
as  sold  in  Philadelphia,  or  6,000  quarts  liquid  measure. 
His  office  and  general  depot  is  at  1,823  Filbert  street, 
while  he  has  branches  or  dairies  at  17  different  loca¬ 
tions  in  the  city  and  one  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.  Quality 
and  purity  are  the  features  of  his  milk.  The  bulk  of  it 
comes  from  registered  Jersey  and  Guernsey  herds,  or 
high  grades  of  these  breeds.  He  buys  and  sells  two 
grades  of  milk — A  and  11.  He  aims,  and  with  uniform 
success,  to  see  that  A  milk  shall  not  fall  below  14.50 
per  cent  of  solids,  and  B  not  lower  than  13.50.  To  be 
assured  of  this,  the  product  of  every  dairy  is  submitted 
to  a  quantitative  analysis  about  once  a  week  and  a 
copy  of  the  analysis  is  furnished  the  shipper,  who 
never  knows  on  what  day  the  analysis  is  to  be  made. 
From  these  analyses  the  milk  is  graded  into  classes  A 
and  H.  To  proc\ire  such  milk,  he  of  course  must  pay 
liberally,  and  this  he  does.  From  October  1  to  January 
15,  he  pays  six  cents  per  quart,  the  shippers  paying 
the  freight,  which  is  about  25  cents  per  can.  From 
January  16  to  May  1  he  pays  five  cents,  and  4>£  cents 
from  May  1  to  October  1.  There  is,  however,  this 
variation  from  the  above  in  the  price  for  May  and  June. 
To  encourage  the  production  of  milk  in  November  and 
December,  when  it  is  usually  scarce,  and  to  discourage 
it  in  May  and  June  when  there  is  apt  to  be  a  surplus, 
he  allows  for  milk  in  May  and  June  the  full  price  (4% 
cents)  for  1}4  times  the  average  daily  shipments  for 
November  and  December,  and  four  cents  for  the  re¬ 
mainder.  To  make  this  clear,  let  us  suppose  that  the 
average  daily  shipments  in  November  and  December 
are  200  quarts  and  for  May  and  June  400  quarts  : 
200  by  \%  —  300  by  -  113.50  dully. 
Balance  100  by  4  —  4.00  dally. 
Total .  *17.50  dally. 
The  shipper  making  such  shipments  would  receive 
§17.50  per  day  for  May  and  June,  instead  of  $18,  which 
his  400  quarts  would  amount  to  at  4%  cents  per  quart. 
Mr.  Abbott  considers  an  increase  of  50  per  cent  a  reas¬ 
onable  one  to  allow  for,  over  those  of  November  and 
December,  on  account  of  pasturage,  etc. 
In  the  matter  of  feed,  he  puts  no  absolute  restric¬ 
tions  on  his  patrons,  but  they  very  well  understand 
that  nothing  must  be  fed  which  would  exert  any  dele¬ 
terious  effect  upon  the  milk  or  on  the  health  of  the 
cattle. 
He  has  no  retail  wagons  in  Philadelphia.  The  milk 
is  distributed  to  patrons  in  cans  of  varying  size,  hold- 
ing  the  desired  quantity,  from  the  various  depots,  by 
push  wagons.  It  is  also  delivered  in  glass  jars  when 
so  desired.  At  Atlantic  City,  where  he  has  but  one 
depot,  the  milk  is  sold  from  wagons,  as  is  the  usual 
custom. 
Producers  are  paid  once  a  month  for  their  milk.  The 
prices  named  are  those  that  have  ruled  for  the  past 
few  years,  but  they  are  not  absolutely  fixed.  If  there 
is  reason  for  variations,  they  will  be  made.  At  the 
present  time  he  is  buying  the  milk  from  44  herds, 
containing  1,097  cows,  all,  as  previously  stated,  regis¬ 
tered  or  high-grade  Jerseys  and  Guernseys.  During 
the  past  year  he  has  employed  veterinarians  of  the 
highest  repute  in  neighborhoods  where  his  herds  are 
located,  to  examine  them  at  stated  intervals  and  to 
report  to  him  all  cases  of  disease  which  might  affect 
the  milk.  In  the  44  herds  but  one  case  of  tuber¬ 
culosis  was  found  and  the  animal  was  promptly 
slaughtered. 
Previous  to  the  passage  of  the  State  law  making  12 
per  cent  of  solids  the  legal  standard,  Mr.  Abbott  sold 
three  grades  of  milk,  but  declining  to  take  any  risk  of 
fines  for  milk  below  that  standard,  he  gave  up  all  the 
dairies  shipping  common  milk  and  has  since  sold  only 
the  two  high  grades,  A  and  B. 
From  personal  intercourse  with  some  of  Mr.  Abbott’s 
shippers,  The  Rubai,  feels  safe  in  saying  that  none 
of  them  feel  that  they  have  any  grievance.  He 
has  always  favored  high  prices  (reasonably  high),  be¬ 
lieving  that  “the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire ”  and 
that  cheapness  is  less  desirable  than  quality. 
It  may  be  said,  in  conclusion,  that  the  business  has 
been  growing  continuously  since  its  beginning,  but 
we  imagine  he  is  not  desirous  of  extending  it  much 
further.  The  Rural  has  only  the  highest  praise 
for  this  peculiar  enterprise.  It  is  the  ideal  milk  busi¬ 
ness— a  model  worthy  of  the  most  general  imitation. 
There  is  need  of  such  a  one  in  this  city  and  its  foun¬ 
der  may  be  assured  of  a  success  far  exceeding  that  of 
any  trade  in  that  line. 
Progress  of  the  Union  Milk 
Company. 
T  he  one  survival  of  all  the  milk  organizations  in  this 
part  of  the  world  is  the  Union  Milk  Company,  an  or¬ 
ganization  which  had  its  birth  among  the  latest  organ¬ 
ized  bodies  of  producers.  The  others  have  gone  to  the 
wall,  but  this  is  alive,  flourishing  and  steadily  in¬ 
creasing  its  business.  Its  headquarters  are  now  at  57 
Sixth  Avenue,  a  very  convenient  location  and  one 
commanding  a  large  retail  trade  from  the  store.  The 
growth  of  the  business  is  most  gratifyingto  the  stock¬ 
holders.  To-day  it  is  selling  about  175  cans  of  milk 
daily  and  20  cans  of  cream.  It  runs  nine  wagons  in 
its  trade,  these  nine  doing  the  same  business  that  for¬ 
merly  required  ten,  before  a  consolidation  of  routes 
took  place.  It  does  a  large  trade  in  bottled  milk,  most 
of  the  milk  received  at  its  creamery  near  Norwich,  N. 
Y.,  being  bottled  there.  Only  the  best  dairies  are  bot¬ 
tled,  and  the  milk  stands  high.  The  wagons  cover  the 
city  from  the  Battery  to  89th  street,  though  the  bulk 
of  the  trade  is  on  the  west  side. 
The  business  has  passed  out  of  the  domain  of  experi¬ 
ment  ;  it  is  now  an  assured  success.  Of  course,  the 
milk  of  stockholders  is  handled  first ;  that  of  outsiders 
comes  second.  To-day  more  milk  is  needed,  and  pro¬ 
gressive  milk  producers  will  do  well  to  investigate  the 
business  with  a  view  of  becoming  stockholders.  Each 
producer  is  expected  to  take  $100  in  stock  for  each  can 
of  his  daily  shipment,  and  it  begins  to  look  as  if  the 
stock  will,  ere  long,  be  selling  at  a  premium.  Of  course, 
when  the  concern  gets  all  the  milk  it  wants,  it  will 
make  no  further  sales  of  stock. 
The  relations  of  the  company  with  the  trade  in  New 
Y  ork  are  very  satisfactory  and  gratifying,  and  the  sit¬ 
uation  has  no  shady  sides.  We  note  the  progress  of 
the  company  with  unalloyed  satisfaction,  and  hope  to 
see  its  business  treble  during  the  coming  year. 
The  present  headquarters  have  every  facility  for  the 
business.  A  gas  engine  drives  a  churn,  in  which  the 
sour  milk  is  converted  into  butter  and  buttermilk. 
I  he  demand  for  the  latter  at  four  cents  per  quart,  dur¬ 
ing  the  hot  weather,  far  exceeds  the  supply.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  milk  and  cream,  butter,  eggs,  cheese,  con¬ 
densed  milk,  etc  ,  are  sold.  In  the  large  cellar  is  a 
big  tank  in  which  a  stock  of  milk  is  kept,  surrounded 
by  ice.  We  urge  our  producers  to  give  the  company  a 
call. 
Parliamentary  Elections  in  the 
British  Isles. 
Their  Characteristics.— While  National  elections 
in  the  United  States  include  those  for  President  and 
Vice-President  as  well  as  those  for  members  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  National  elections  in  the 
United  Kingdom  are  confined  to  members  of  the  House 
of  Commons,  although,  as  the  fate  of  the  Ministry 
or  Cabinet,  depends  on  them,  they  may  be  said  indi¬ 
rectly  to  embrace  the  election  of  these  also.  Then 
again,  while  our  Representatives  hold  their  places  for 
two  years,  the  term  of  members  of  Parliament  is  in¬ 
definite  ;  for  though  the  legitimate  duration  of  Par¬ 
liament  is  seven  years,  if  the  Ministry  are  defeated  by 
the  Opposition  on  any»important  question  or  by  a  vote  of 
“  want  of  confidence,”  as  an  almost  invariable  rule 
they  either  resign  and  allow  their  opponents  to  form 
a  new  Ministry,  or  dissolve  Parliament  and  appeal  to 
the  country  for  an  indorsement  of  their  policy.  Again, 
while  our  Representatives  get  $5,000  a  year  each, 
members  of  the  House  of  Commons  serve  gratis,  al¬ 
though  their  election  expenses  are  quite  heavy. 
National  elections  all  occur  in  this  country  within 
certain  hours  on  one  day  ;  but  across  the  water  they 
straggle  along  for  two  or  three  weeks,  those  for  the 
boroughs  coming  first,  followed  by  those  for  the  coun¬ 
ties,  and  allowances  are  made  for  distances  from  the 
capital.  Here  manhood  suffrage  is  the  rule  ;  there 
property  qualifications  are  necessary ;  although  ever 
since  1832,  the  date  of  the  great  reform  in  the  elector¬ 
ate,  successive  bills,  passed  generally  by  the  Liberals, 
but  occasionally  by  the  Conservatives,  have  lessened 
the  extent  of  these,  until  now  agricultural  laborers 
with  small  rented  holdings  and,  apartment  renters 
in  boroughs  have  the  right  to  vote.  The  electorate 
has  thus  been  increased  from  about  1,000,000  to  over 
5,000,000.  This  steady  descent  of  the  right  to  vote, 
has  given  suffrage  to  successive  classes  unaccustomed 
to  use  it,  and  ignorant  and  prejudiced,  with  national 
tendencies  to  violence,  they  are  more  inclined  to 
throw  a  brick  at  an  obnoxious  speaker  than  to  hear 
and  confute  him  ;  hence  elections  are  far  more  turbu¬ 
lent  in  the  British  Isles  than  here,  especially  in  Ireland. 
The  Late  Elections. — One  of  the  most  important 
elections  held  in  recent  years  has  just  closed.  Six 
years  ago,  while  Gladstone  was  Prime  Minister,  he  in¬ 
troduced  a  bill  giving  home  rule  to  Ireland,  a  measure 
of  the  justice  of  which  he  had  only  lately  become  con¬ 
vinced  himself.  A  part  of  his  followers,  believing  that 
this,  if  successful,  would  inevitably  lead  to  an  attempt 
to  assert  the  independence  of  the  smaller  island,  aban¬ 
doned  his  leadership  and,  by  union  with  the  Conserva¬ 
tives,  defeated  him  and  his  remaining  adherents  in  the 
House  of  Commons.  Straightway  he  dissolved  Parlia¬ 
ment  and  appealed  to  the  constituencies,  from  which 
he  received  an  overwhelming  defeat.  The  House  of 
Commons  consists  of  670  members — 461  for  England. 
103  for  Ireland,  72  for  Scotland  and  34  for  Wales. 
The  Conservatives  elected  311  members,  and  their 
new  allies,  the  Liberal-Unionists,  71;  the  Glad¬ 
stone  Liberals  204,  and  the  Nationalists  or  Par- 
nellites,  “the  Grand  Old  Man’s”  allies,  86.  Thus 
there  was  a  majority  of  91  against  him.  Since 
then  he  and  his  adherents  had  carried  on  an  un¬ 
tiring  propaganda  of  their  views,  and  at  various 
by-elections  had  reduced  their  opponents’  majority  to 
68.  It  was  evident  that  public  opinion  was  drifting 
to  their  side,  and  the  other  day  the  Marquis  of  Salis- 
bury,  Prime  Minister,  thinking  the  time  propitious, 
dissolved  Parliament  instead  of  waiting  till  the  close 
of  the  septentate,  and  sought  an  indorsement  of  liis 
policy  from  the  people.  They  have  answered  his 
appeal  by  giving  a  majority  of  40  to  his  rival.  Here  is 
the  division  of  votes  by  nationalities  :  England,  Con¬ 
servatives,  including  Liberal-Unionists.,  267  ;  Liberals 
of  all  kinds,  194  ;  Ireland,  Conservatives  24,  Liberals 
79,  including  68  McCarthyites  and  nine  Parnellites ; 
Scotland,  Conservatives  22,  Liberals  51  :  Wales,  Con¬ 
servatives  2,  Liberals  32.  These  figures  are  the  latest, 
later  data  may  make  slight  alterations. 
Causes  and  Results.— Although  there  has  been  in 
reality,  a  gain  of  108  seats,  besides  ttTose  won  previ¬ 
ously  at  the  by-elections,  the  majority  of  40  is  con¬ 
sidered  by  most  disappointingly  small.  Its  paucity 
was  due  to  the  shock  the  Independents— the  “  Old 
Parliamentary  Hand’s,”  main  supporters — received 
from  the  Parnellite  immoral  exposures;  to  the  con¬ 
stant  turbulent  quarrels  since  then  between  the  two 
Irish  factions,  which  convinced  thousands  of  former 
friends  that  the  Irish  are  not  yet  fit  for  self-govern¬ 
ment;  to  the  strong  impression  made  on  British  Prot¬ 
estants  by  the  uncompromising  attitude  against  Home 
Rule  assumed  by  their  co-religionists  in  Ulster;  to 
the  unlooked  for  opposition  of  the  Scotch  clergymen 
to  the  threatened  disestablishment  of  their  Church; 
to  the  subordination  by  the  Gladstonians  of  the  legis¬ 
lative  demands  of  various  British  interests  to  the 
paramount  urgency  of  the  Irish  question;  and  to  a 
growing  weariness  among  the  masses  at  the  persistent 
obti  usion  of  the  latter.  It  will  be  seen  that  while 
England  is  decidedly  opposed  to  Gladstone,  the  latter’s 
majority  in  Wales  and  Scotland  falls  15  short  of  over 
coming  his  opponents’  majority  there.  His  majority, 
therefore,  comes  from  Ireland  entirely,  and  though 
legally  Irish  votes  are  as  valid  as  English,  Scotch  or 
Welch,  they  will  have  less  weight,  as  they  are  cast  by 
the  parties  to  be  benefited  by  the  proposed  legislation. 
A  vote  of  “  want  of  confidence  ”  will  be  passed  by 
the  Liberals  not  later  than  August  15  ;  then,  almost 
certainly,  the  present  Ministers  will  resign,  and  Glad¬ 
stone  will  name  a  Cabinet,  each  member  of  which  will 
have  to  submit  to  a  reelection,  including  the  “Grand 
Old  Man”  himself.  Then  the  Irish  factions,  holding 
the  balance  of  power,  are  pretty  sure  to  force  Home 
Rule  once  more  to  the  front.  If  the  measure  passes 
the  “  Commons,”  it  is  absolutely  certain  to  be  over¬ 
whelmingly  defeated  by  the  “  Lords,”  and,  with  so 
small  a  majority  behind  him,  Gladstone  ;will  have  to 
appeal  to  the  country  by  again  dissolving  Parliament 
within  a  year  or  two.  He  is  83  years  old,  and,  though 
still  marvelously  strong  and  sound,  his  chances  °of 
mental  and  bodily  health  are  growing  weaker,  and, 
with  his  disappearance  from  public  life,  the  influence 
of  the  home-rule  question  would  be  wonderfully  en¬ 
feebled. 
Many  urge  the  temporary  postponement  of  the  Irish 
question  and  the  immediate  passage  of  laws  demanded 
by  other  interests  as  well  as  the  further  enlargement 
of  the  electorate  and  an  improvement  of  registration. 
Such  measures  would  give  the  Liberals,  it  is  claimed, 
a  million  more  votes,  should  they  be  forced  to  dis¬ 
solve  Parliament.  The  Gladstonians,  however,  could 
then  gain  so  large  a  majority  in  Great  Britain  that 
they  ne.ed  no  longer  be  submissive  to  the  Irish  repre¬ 
sentatives,  hence  the  latter  are  very  unlikely  to  agree 
to  such  a  policy. 
Business  Bits. 
Tue  so-called  Calikoknia  Cold  Process  of  fruit  canning  is  an  un¬ 
mitigated  fraud,  and  none  but  rascals  are  concerned  in  It.  Will  all 
our  readers  please  make  a  note  of  this  fact  ?  We  have  over  and  over 
again  made  the  above  statement,  and  yet  every  day  brings  us  letters 
inquiring  about  “  the  California  Cold  Process.”  It  Is  a  ERAUD-wlth 
great  big  letters. 
1  nis  Is  the  “  third  and  last  call  ”  on  that  chance  to  make  a  big  bar¬ 
gain  with  James  McCreery  &  Co.,  of  New  York.  We  have  heard  of 
men  throwing  chances  away,  and  that  is  what  you  are  doing  when  you 
fall  to  get  In  on  this  trade.  Those  dress  goods  are  the  best  to  be  had. 
What  difference  does  It  make  to  you  whether  your  wife's  dress  comes 
out  of  a  large  or  a  small  piece  ?  A  small  piece  means  a  small  price  ' 
Come,  now,  be  alive  and  dress  your  lady  up  as  she  deserves  1 
