“DEMONSTRATION” FARMERS* 
MILK STATION. 
Better Prices for Better Milk. 
Part I. 
The problem of a supply of choice 
milk at a moderate cost is one that has 
attracted a good deal of attention for 
some time. We have certified milk 
farms, operated at heavy expense, un¬ 
der a sort of supervision which in' most 
instances renders them unprofitable. 
The country has an abundance of whole¬ 
some milk upon which infants and 
adults alike thrive. It is difficult for 
country people to see why this whole¬ 
some milk in the country should be 
harmful in the city, but there seems to 
be reason for thinking that consider¬ 
able milk that is fed to infants in city 
homes, particularly in hot weather in 
the homes of the poorer classes, has 
some harmful tendencies. Whether this 
is due partly to the condition of the 
milk as sold, or to its care and to the 
appliances used in its feeding, seems to 
be a somewhat doubtful question. It 
would seem fair to assume that both 
factors, the milk and the home, may 
properly share in the censure. At any 
rate the problem of securing milk that 
keeps well, is clean, and is sold at a 
moderate price cannot be ignored. 
I suppose that the first attempt to im¬ 
prove the condition of market milk by 
paying farmers something extra for milk 
of superior quality was made by the 
present Commissioner of Agriculture of 
New York State, Raymond A. Pearson, 
just after his graduation from college. 
From that time on there have been 
some efforts made occasionally by this, 
the most logical and effective method 
that has been devised. In 1910 an as¬ 
sociation of men interested in good 
milk was formed in New York City for 
the purpose of demonstrating ‘the pro¬ 
position of supplying high-class milk 
at a reasonable price. The association 
is called the New York Dairy Demon¬ 
stration Company. This association has 
its headquarters in New York City, and 
has a creamery in central New York, 
the location being at Homer, in Cort¬ 
land County. The original capital of 
the company was $25,000, and this I 
would think should be ample for the 
purpose. The creamery building was 
purchased trom a farmers’ company, it 
not having proved profitable in their 
hands. The buildings have been re¬ 
modeled and they are now convenient, 
substantial and sanitary. The scheme 
that is being worked out is practically 
one devised by Dr. Charles E. North, 
of New York City. Dr. North had tried 
out the method on his own and other 
farms in a limited way and had found 
it practicable. Mr. Stephen Francisco 
associated himself in the present enter¬ 
prise and became president of the com¬ 
pany. Others are associated with him. 
It will be remembered that Mr. Fran- 
WPIERE THE MILK IS TAKEN IN. Fig. 299. 
WHERE THE MILK IS SHIPPED. Fig. 300. 
OFFICE OF CHIEF COOK AND BOTTLE WASHER. Fig. 301. 
cisco was the first to commence the pro¬ 
duction of certified milk, and has con¬ 
tinuously been engaged in that business 
for a number of years. In Dr. North’s 
previous experiments he operated in a 
new sanitary barn at first, but later con¬ 
tinued his work with old barns of the 
ordinary sort. He found it possible by 
using protected pails and by having all 
the utensils carefully sterilized to pro¬ 
duce milk with a bacterial count not to 
exceed 10,000, and in most instances 
not as high as 5,000. Reasonable care, 
at a little expense, and utensils that are 
carefully washed and sterilized are at 
the basis of the new methods of the 
demonstration creamery. 
At first thought the idea of cheapen¬ 
ing good milk by paying extra for it 
may seem incongruous, but it is the 
logical way. To try to compel a free 
people to pay out their money to im¬ 
prove a product without any compensat¬ 
ing features is illogical and must fail. 
To cooperate and stimulate ambition 
is reasonable and must probably suc¬ 
ceed. If I have got at the bottom of 
the facts regarding this demonstration 
creamery, as I believe I have, they are 
certain to demonstrate a success, so far 
as the country end is concerned. I am 
sure that they have already demon¬ 
strated how extra quality may be ob¬ 
tained by the creamery at only a very 
moderate expense. Suppose we tackle 
that part of the problem first. In the 
first place there are no spectacular fea¬ 
tures. White suits in the cow stable 
are not asked for, and few particular 
features are especially pressed, other 
than the quality of the milk. To get the 
milk right, a protected pail is furnished 
by the company for milking, and the 
use of a moist cloth to remove dust 
from the udder and flanks of the cow is 
urged. Not much else is required ex¬ 
cept that a man who is not clean in his 
person and his habits can hardly fill the 
bill for milk of the test which I shall 
presently describe. 
The test of the milk for the most 
part is its bacterial count. Where milk 
has not been “fooled” with this bac¬ 
terial count seems to me to be a pretty 
safe criterion for determining its purity 
and grade. There may be cases where 
the kinds of bacteria, or perhaps classes, 
should enter into the consideration, but 
where milk comes direct from an honest 
and interested farmer a mere count may 
be ample. In order to get the count as 
it should be, a premium of 10 cents a 
can or one-fourth cent a quart is paid 
to every patron who keeps his count 
below ten thousand as an average for 
the month. A flat price is fixed for the 
month, which in this case is determined 
by an average of five creameries in the 
vicinity. To the “flat” price is added 
20 cents a can for cows tuberculin 
tested, 10 cents for using sanitary 
milk pails and employing sanitary 
