Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-12-08
Milk as Food.

HAMMOND. Agricultural Editor Oxford Den
ocrat. Paris. Ne.
Milk as Food.
Nature never intended that mil
should be drawn into pail, transferre
into milk can and then carried on
train or carted to town and poured int
bottles which are finally left at the cor
sumer's door.
Because most milk 10 consumed in ;
raw state and not cooked, as nearly al
other animal food is, it is apt to be dan
gsrous TO health. Cows milk, whe
Improperly handled. is often exposed &
dust, flies and other dirt, and frequentl
is not used until IL is day or w old
such stale, germ-ladsn, dirty milk wa
never intended to be consumed by . hu
man being.
The long hau! and the handling ant
exposure of milk to light and chances
for contamination, contrary to nature'
plan, make IL necessary that due atteu
tion be given TO the sanitary conditions
of procuring this product.
Attention TO sanitary details before
the product reaches the consumers door
is all important and 10 this end cleaner
methods have been advocated and will
continue to be brought 10 the producer,
attention until the plane Of sanitary pro
duction has reached its highest possible
point. To demand extensive change OF
methods without first giving ample rea
son and prospects for a resulting reim-
bursement for money expended, or re
ward for the improved product, will
hardly favor Improvement, even though
the consuming public may be in need oi
the improved product. Education OF
the producer and consumer and a mu'
for services rendered and value of the
product received must eventually come
| il the problem is to be solved.
The present actual cost of one quart OF
market milk is variable factor and OF
little concern TO the consumer, but OF
great importance To the producer whose
livelihood may depend upon what he re
ceives for his milk. Without going into
detail it might be we'll TO glance at few
of the items that enter into the expense
of producing quart of milk. They are
as follows:
Investments In land, animals, buildings and
/ equipment.
Risk and depreciation.
Inaurance.
Interest.
Taxes.
Upkeep of farm house.
Cost of stabling.
Beduing.
Keep OF bull.
| Grooming.
Stable work.
Care Of product
i Ice.
| Feed.
Cost Of shipping and distribution.
INCOME.
Value of milk received.
| Value of manure.
1 Value OF calf
| Little thought Is given to these items
| by the average consumer, but that the
! producer must be concerned with the
problem Of economic production, Is evil
dent. When accurate data are placed
before the public as 10 the actual cost
of milk, and the producer sells and re-
ceives payment on basis OF compost
tion and quality, the status of the occu-
patton OF producing milk as n food rath-
| er than az a beverage or as necessary
article in cooking, will reach its proper
/ place among food producers.
Ten billion gallous OF milk are used
yearly in this country about one quarter
| of this il used as milk, while the other
three-quarters 90 into butter, cheese,
condensed milk and ice cream. Ii Is
more important tu license persons en-
gagged in the milk Industry than it is to
, license plumbers, undertakers, trained
nurses, restaurant keepers, pawnbrokers
OF saloon keepers, but still a mere regis
tration without an inspection of condi'
i tions il all that is usually required.
Milk is AN important food, each per,
son in the United States us'ng on an
average about half pint of milk day
Mix is complex substance, containing
the chief parts of all che different foods
usually found on the home table. Milk
is equal to and will take the place of a
meal consisting of meat and eggs, sugar
aud cereals, oils and fats, with salt and
water.
Milk consists Of five chief substances,
namely:
is percent slbumen 49,. Ike the white OF an egg
| Ipercent sugar cane sugar
| 4percent fat butter
| Os percent salt.-....--- ike common table salt
| 81 percent water.---------
Milk is one of the cheapest foods on
! the market. Ii is also one of the mos,
easily digested. 1t is very nourishing to
young and old and may be served in diff
\ ferent forms, as custards, puddings,
sauces, cream, ice cream, cheese, etc.
| Milk and milk products make up about
one-sixth (l6 percenD of all food eaten
| by the average American family.
| Comparing it, value AZ food with
other common foods We will better un-
derstand it's real value. One quart of
milk is about equal in food value to any
one of the following:
| 2pounds salt Goldfish
pounds fresh Goldfish
2pOunds chicken
&pOu"ds beets
pounds turnips
l6 pound butter
l.3 pound wheat -four
Sounces bread
cups corn nakes
shredded wheat
l-3 pound cheese
81 pound lean round beef
| seggs
spounds potatoes
| pounds spinach
| pounds lettuce
| pounds cabbage
IA cups puned rice
| +bananas
6oranges
The folly of paying twenty TO
thirty cents for eight eggs when nearly
the same food value can be secured In
quart Of milk costing from eight to
ten cents, might be pointed out as an
extravagance in selection.
When quart Of milk is secured for
ten cents it might be well tn know that
value is received in full with some to
spare, and for this over-run the produc.
er gets NO, hing extra. This is due TO
the tact that his milk is sold by the can
iul rather than by its composition and
food value and the consumer 10 thereby
the gamer.
A glsss of milk is about equal TO:
. large eggs
| slices or bread
| Z 2tablespoonfuls boiled rice
| hteaspoonfuls cooked cereal
, moderate sized potatoes or
n large serving OF lean meat
From the foregoing tables it IL seer
that milk as a food is an economical
larticle to consider, bu, some Of the
characteristics of this product, as wei
as the problem of economic production
which has already been outlined, shoui'
be understood.
Milk readily absorbs odors and havor'