Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-01-07
MILK TAKES A DROP N PRICE
IT IS AGAIN DOWN TO THE
OLD RATES.
The DairYmen Claim There Is No
Profit In Milk at Present
AS Formerly.

After a trial of little more than a
month at the high rate the price of
milk has again dropped to the price
at which it sold prior to the first day
of December. On that date the retail
ers of the tactical fluid announced that
instead of selling milk for s cents per
quart, they would be forced TO charge
10 cents per quart.
They gave as a reason sfor the in
crease in price the great cost of feed
and the generally poor pastorage con-
ditions which existed last summer and
fall. There is considerable bitterness
among many of the milk dealers be-
cause of the conditions which render
ed it necessary TO drop back to the old
price. When it was decided TO make
the change practically all of the deal
ers agreed TO stick TO the price. 1t
was somewhat of a monopolistic COM
bination, but one which they thought
the exigeneies of the conditions de.
manded Several of the smaller deal
ers lost customers, who decided they
could do without the lacteal fluid.
Then other dealers, seeing a good
opportunity of building up their
routes at the expense of Ihe larger
dealers, began taking on the customers
of the latter at the old price of s
cents per quart. They are making
great holes in the routes of the large
dealers, and as a matter of self -preser-
vation, the principal dealers were
forced to come down to the old price.
1t is claimed by the milk dealers, both
the large ones and the owners Of
small routes that milk cannot be sold
at cents per quart with any profit,
as the cost of feed is so high. As a
matter of fact feed has been high in
price since the combinations secured
control of the various cereal miles
throughout the country and in which
COW feed is by product. Many dairy
men tried to cut down on what is
known as the short feed secured from
these mills and using more long feed,
such as clover hay, ensilage and
stover.
This had tendency to increase the
price of both the long and short feed,
till today it has been figured that 20
cents a day is required TO feed one COW
whereas, under favorable conditions,
a cow can be fed sfor little more than
half that amount. Maryland, as a
whole, is not natural grass country
and practically all of the COWS are
stall fed on feed which is brought in
from outside points.or else from those
favroite sections of the state where
long feed is readily raised. Most of
the local dairymen have sufficient land
on which to raise long feed fora por-
tion Of the winter consumption, but
during the summer months have no
pasture. In many parts of this coun-
ty even with good grass conditions, it
is impossible to Craze stock because
of the presence of large quantities of
garlick, which taints the milk and
makes it unfit for use. Many COM
plants were made to the dairymen on
that score and they do but little graz
ing at present.
There is more milk used in Annapo-
lis than in any other city in the Uni
ted States of its size. Some milk
bills in private families amount TO
over $25 per menth, which is said by
chose from other cities to be very
large even at the same price per quart,
as is charged here.