The Washington herald., 1907-03-31
DAIRYMAN IN REPLY
Says DR.. Wyman's Report on
Milk Is Unfair.
INSISTS THE SUPPLY IS GOOD
Purity of Water Destroyed in Part
by the Action of the District In
Introducing the Meter system-~The
Dairy Interests Suffering ny Rea-
son Of Some sIisstatements.

Editor The Washington Herald:
/ That part OF Dr. Wymaus report which
deals with the milk supply Of Washing
ton. r. c.. contains some remarks that
seem hardly fair, although. no doubt. un.
/ Intentional or it may have been twisted
I ~ its fight through the health office
When he says that much of the milk is
/ too old ne shows his lack OF dairy knowl-
edge. The fact that the milk Is old and
sweet proves conclusively that it was pro-
dueed under proper methods or it would
not remain sweet. Six or seven months
in the year Washington has about one
half or twO-thirds Of its milk supply
twice something that is not at
tempted IN any other city of any size.
When Or. Wyman speaks of the milk
supply of Boston In the same breath with
Washington. he not only deals "a cruel
blow at the health office. but fells every
dairyman in Washington who makes any
pretense 20 deeeney Notwithstanding the
many blunders the health office has made
in its endeavor to correct the evil that
prevailed in many places. it must be said
20 its credit that there are no such condi-
tions existing either in the District Of Co
iumbia or in the States adjoining as exist
in Boston. If the learned doctor VIII take
the trouble 10 investigate he will hnd
that with the exception of a few indfyid-
ual dairies ia the suburbs Of Boston. at
least four-ffths of the milk supply is con-
trolied by very wealthy corporations who
Own and operate the principal railroads
coming into Boston, and that they posi-
lively refuse TO haul any milk over their
roads that is not consigned to them The
only method of delivering milk by them
is I'm eight-quart tin cans with wooden
shoppers for lids. To be held up in com
paTis0n with the dairy methods of Boston
is enough to sting the pride of any Wash
ington dairyman who makes any pretense
TO self-respect.
General supply Good Here.
It seems TO be quite the thing for
learned scientists, specialists. and dairy
experts 10 refer to some city at a distance
doubtless suppOsing that no one in Wash
ington will be able to controveft what
they say. While the writer does not wish
TO appear conceited. or in any way pedan-
tic, he does know something OF the eondl-
tions existing in other cities. He has been
in Baltimore. Philadelphia, Jersey City
New York City. Boston, Buffalo, Chicago.
and Toronto. Canada, and he has also
been IN position to get q smattering OF
the dairy business in England and other
European countries. While he has seen
some very fine dairy barns and city dairy
plants. he has not found any city where
the general supply Of milk was equal to or
better than that OF Washington
Mark Twain says when you axe in
doubt, tell the truth; bat the learned doc
tors bacteriol0gists. chemists. aud dairy
experts say blame the milkman These
learned gentlemen have in their efforts
TO md some cause for many of the pre-
vailing diseases made the old cow-the
real mother of most Of humanlty-the
scapeboat TO carry of all the sins Of the
world
How Wafer Becomes Impure.
As to the water supply of the District.
I can only say. for my part, believe that
Washington City has as good. If not bet
ter. water supply than any other city that
is supplied by reservoir. and especially so
since the hltration plant has been in op-
Grafton. but unfortunately for the users
OF water in the District, the honorable
District Commissioners or some one at the /
head OF the water department. introduced
the water meter system and also passed a
regulation limiting the free use of water
for washing the pavements, streets.
and watering the lawns 10 only a few
hours Ia the day. thereby cutting on the
only really beneficial and healthful sani-
tary practice. When you consider that
there are from 230,0o0,eo0 to 250,0O0,0O0 gal
Ions more water passing through the fill
tratiOn plant in the month of January
than there is in the month Of July. and
that at least one-half or two-thirds of the
population is out of the city during the
summer months, il must be apparent TO /
any one that the water lies in the water
mains and pipes until it is stagnant and /
badly contaminated by the large deposit /
Of silt, mud, and other sediment that /
passed into the pipes and mains before the /
hitration plant was in operation. A casual (
gi1nce al a map showing the location Of 1
typhoid fever viii make it plain to any
one that typhoid fever has not been re- /
stricted TO the slums or insanitary por- /
tons Of the city, but has made its appear /