Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-05-19
TIE MILK INTEREST OF FAIRFAX.
he cd;tor of the Alexandria Gazette ::

tn the editor of the Alexandria Gazette:
The shipment of milk from this county to
Washington city has of late years become
matter of great importance both to the
nroducer and dealer. The cultivation OF
the soil does not pay now; afse7 heavy ferti-
lizer bills are paid and the low price for
wheat, there is but little left for TIE farmer
so a large number of our farmers are en-
Gagged in selling milk. Those who live on or
near the railroads, say at Herndon, Vienna,
Falls Church, Burkes and Clifton, ship
their milk very easily by rail; but the farm
ers living at the Court House, Chantllly and
| Anandale, having no railroad facilities, are
compelled to ship by wagons over the Little
| River turnpike and gravel road. The
wagon leaves the Court House at ten o'clock
a. N. from the 1st of October to the 1st of
April, and at ten p. M, from the lst of April
to the 1st of October. A wagon leaves every
! day in the week, returning the following
day. The quantity of milk shipped by this
route is from two hundred to two hundred
and twenty. FIVE gallons per day, and the
cost of freight is four cents per gallon. The
winter price of milk is eighteen cents per
gallon, summer, fourteen, so the net profit is
| fourteen cents in the winter and ten cents
| in the summer. The dealers in Washington
are q shylock set, taking every advantage
of the farmer. They skim the milk we send
them, sell the cream for seventy-hye or
eighty cents per gallon, and they sell the
milk remaining for % or IS cents per gallon.
| 1t has gotten to be the most uncertain as
we'll as Crooked" business done in Washing
ton Excepting OF course the affairs of Con-
gress). One way they take advantage otthe
farmer is in making returns ofmiIk received.
You may putt down as sure that they will de-
duct ten gallons out of every seventy.live-
they call it Shortage" we call it stealing.
| Their revenues are tremendous-payln
about sixty per cent.-and they resort to
every artifice to cheat. An honest milk
desler in Washington is as much q curiosity
as a real praying Congressman. They must
| think that "Truth crushed to earth will rise
again" like good creamy, and they persist
| in crushing her just as often rs they posi-
bly can They enter into solemn contract
with farmer to take his milk for so long
time at such price, and every thing goes
along smoothly until "glut" occurs, then
the dealer deducts ten or twenty gallons
| from the farmers milk, sends him word
''you are short ten gallons" (of course 1t is
| after it is taken from the cam and, therefore,
'you need not send any more milk to me-"
| This is our experience, and, no doubt, that
of many others in Fairfax. Another way
| they cheat is the "sour dodge" A farmer
sends go many gallons per day to MIR. A.,
who, at the end of the month makes his re-
turn to the farmer, five hundred gallons Of
milk received, seventy five sour" gem
tleman near Anandale, q few years
ago, sold certain dealer in Washington ter
even gallons per day, just one can and that
full. One day the farmer received card :;
"Ten gallons of milk received, nine gallons
sour" All was in one can, and the farmer wants
to know what became of the odd gallon !
One of the largest producers near Anandale
short time ago sent certain prominent
milk dealer in Washington fifty gallons of
milk every day He always took his milk
to Alexandria and shipped it by the local
train. Upon one occasion, being in Wash
ington, he stepped in to get his monthly
statement and settle up. In looking over
the statement he came across the following:
"Fifty gallons sour milk on - day Of"
He asked the clerk if he remembered the
day that there was an accident TO the Long
bridge and no train passed over. The clerk
said he did; it was the - day of -
1.-THE very day that the farmer had fifty gall
! Ions of sour milk The clerk invited the
farmer to wait for Mr.. -, the proprie-
tor, as he would be in in few minutes.
The gentleman had to wait but few min.
utes. The proprietor came in and the farm
err, without delay, asked him the came ques.
ton about the accident to tho bridge, and
his reply was like that of the clerk.
"Who receives the milk sent here, sir ?"
asked the farmer, "and who makes out the
returns %
II do, SIR" answered the dealer.
"Then this is your statement, presume,
said the farmer.
"Yes, sir, will stand by that piece of pa
per-"
WELL" continued the Farf,xian, show
can you account for my having fifty gallons
of sour milk on the = day Of -, when
you and your clerk both say that the Long
bridge was injured upon that Identical day,
and no train ran from Alexandria send
all of my milk by train, and if there was no
train there could have been no milk. Give
me nv money, and will in future think
you liar" This case is q fact, and we can
give the names of both parties if it is neces-
| sary.
The milk interest OF Fairfax, as we stated
at the beginning of this letter, is one Of
great Importance. 1t is really the life of
many of our farmers. Il does seem to us
that such an important question should be
thoroughly understood, and our interests
protected from the shy locks Of Washington.
If the farmers of Fairfax will convene in
assembly, give their views upon what should
be done, and then act together, we believe
some good would result We have plan
which we will submit in our next letter.
Fairfax FARMER.
CONFERENCE NJ E CHURCH SOUTH.