The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-01-20
Correspondence Baltimore County Onion.
THE MILK SITUATION AND HOW IT
AFFECTS BALTIMORE COUNTY.

GLENCOE, Nd, January 18th, 1900.
Messrs. Edit0rS.-The dairymen OF Baltimore
and the other counties who supply the CITY WIN
milk have, for several years, been making their
milk at a loss, even when it was paid for
promptly by the retailers in the city. Iney
have had additional losses also due to the ialluTe
of the milkmen in town to meet their bills. 1t.
is only right and fair that these milk producers
should get together and organize strong COM
pa9y for the purpose OF III His
from repeating this outrage. The milk-pro-
ducers formed their association to OBTAIN tnree
things-a better price, security in selling ana TO
trade tremendously with the retail dairymen OF
Baltimore. Today their association. through
mismanagement on the part OF its directors, is
not selling milk to single one of the diaries
that ever paid high prices, and nave sOlu only 10
those diaries that were forced to sign their con-
tracts Those dairymen OF Wh9 r aTe
this association in limited quantities with thlr-
ty days credit and as they cannot settle when
the day of settlement comes, the loss must raii
Also the other point which the farmers wished
to obtain, namely, receiving more money Ior
their milk product, cannot possibly be real1zed
for the surplus represented by thousands of
gallons will not net return OF over cents per
gallon, and expenses that have been incurred oy
the association in Baltimore are extremely
heavy. / repeat that the farmers who wish TO
obtain l6 cents for their milk will net IL cents
and they have also to pay their SUBSCRIPTION IN
The reliable diaries of Baltimore, that have
always been classed as standing highest, are am
ness had they acceded to the demands of the
Producers Association.
There is another serious matter which Will ps-
found to be the outcome of this mismanage-
ment on the part of the directors OF the Pro-
ducers' Association. 1t is the old story of over
confidence and failure to appreciate the sisua-
ton. Some years ago Orange county, IN New
York State, was the dairy county OF the STATE
Shortly afterwards the dairymen of that county,
which furnished the milk supply to New YORK
city, were superseded by the da1rymen OF
Delaware county-200 miles further away-and
Delaware county is now the m1lk-produclng
county of the;State and farms have deprecated
in value in Orange county. The same thing
happened in Philadelphia and resulted in the
middle distance mik-producers going out of
business and the city supply being brought IN
from distant regions.
Today the city of Baltimore has new supply
of milk to the amount of 4,O00l gallons, coming
in from distances of from 100 to 400 miles, as
good as the average milk made in Baltimore
county and sells at from IL cents to ID cents per
gallon from the car, and this milk. coming III re-
frigerator cars is perfect in almost every way.
1t gives to the small retailer the greatest ad-
vantage in doing business. He takes from the
car lust what he wants, carries no surplus, is
not worried by the loss of his trade in summer,
and needs no effort to keep the milk OF MS
farmer coming to town in such quantities tnat
will enable him to dispose of it each day. Eacn
day this outside supply comes in there is nall
driven in the coffin of the the milk producers OF
Baltimore county. Those dairymen who have
maintained prices expect to see great flush OF
milk in summer time, and the cut-rate diaries
The sooner the farmers who are members OF this
association realize their position the better IL
will be for all concerned.
ASA B. GARDINER, JR.