The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-12-21

The people turned out the lights-then they
turned out the lecturer because he wasn't fat
+ leave the town. / told them if they'd make it
$40 I'd go!
At the termination of the 20 minutes 1 felt
something come up against me very rapidly
from behind. My first impression was that it
was an cid fashioned leather valise. Suisse
quently reflection convinced me that it was
boot. shook hands with them all with much
feeling. told them they must excuse me, 10! lor
l felt lhad togo. Leaving somewhat nas' .,sl
caught the sound of cherub voices ~ .no
grocers shop, singing in tones oil Tue h'''' -"
| Shall we never more behold thee
Never hear thy winning voice again.
| Ivellad ont that they wOuldn't-not If
conid holm IT, That winning voice" didn't
| seem to win the neighborhood.
Concerning Milk. iD
MIR. EDITOR,-I notice in your paper COM
plant of the price of milk, and recommen-
dation to do away with its use after Christmas
| Now am farmer and have had some expert
ence in the raising and care of COW s, and of the
cost of producing milk, and accordingly feel
| competent to form an opinion ON the subject,
which is one that interests every householder
The sum named by your correspondent as
the sum charged per quart, ten cents, is clearly
| too much. The farmers neither expect nor re-
ceive any such sum. The price paid them dur
| ing all of the year, with the exception of a few
days in midwinter, is only four cents per quart
The difference goes into the pockets of the
middlemen who take and distribute the milk
By combining they are enabled to exact this
exorbitant price from their customers, while
they are rapidly causing the two or three cows
which each farmer used to think he ought to
keep, to disappear from his barn. With the
present high price of hay it costs eighty-three
dollars to winter a cow but if we take into ac-
count the added cost of the keep during sum-
mer, the investment in the COW itself, the land
| for pasturage and a warm barn for winter shell
/ ter and interest and taxes ON the same, tOgeth
er with the expenses of constant attendance
while housed (which is seven months) and of
milking twice day, it is clear that no cow can
be carried through the year at an expense of
less than one hundred dollars. No intelligent
farmer will allow his cows to give milk longer
i than ten months in the year. The average
daily yield of an ordinary cow through these
| three hundred days is not more than eight
quarts. At four cents this would yield the
not afford to follow such system of husbandry
and as said, the few cows that each one used
to keep are sold in order that the pasture may
be, as far as practicable, turned into moving,
and then the entire crop of hay is sold instead
of being used on the place. The result is inev
liable and doubly unfavorable- for it diminish
es the supply of milk, and the farms for want
of manure, rapidly decrease in fertility and
value. As stock diminishes, We see the milk
carriers, instead of paying remunerative prices
near home and demanding less profit, establish
reservoirs in the country where hay is cheap
err, and each morning receive at the railway
stations here their cans which they distribute
| about town. The necessary cost of their inter
vention is trifing-but the result to the pur-
chaser is the addition to the price OF every
quart, OF the sum of six cents. ~
4 More than one half the cost to the consumer
of those necessaries of life which are raised in
| the vicinity could be saved, and living profit
l left for the producer if these two parties could
\ by some practicable arrangement be brought
4 face to face But farmers are scattered and
have neither the faculty nor facility of entering
/ into combinations which those have who live
| in cities and regulate prices by mutual agree
| ment. Until, therefore, citizens and consumers
| can.aevise some way by which the charges of
| middle men may be curtailed and regulated
they should not complain of producers who
suffer quite as much as themselves Why not
| in connection with the new market establish
milk depot, if necessary under charge of some
person employed by the city, where this indis-
pensable article could be constantly found, and
| the expenses of middlemen saved? If farmers
could feel sure Of six cents quart for milk ev-
en- at the present unusual cost offorage, they
would resume the keeping of cows, maintain
| the value and Udluation of their farms, and in
| evitably increase the produc ton and decrease
the price of veal and beef PRODUCER.