Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-08-09

ing eleven cents a quart. The report Of
the milk inspector for the months Of June.
July and August will be published prob
ably within the next ten days. People are
urged to read II and see whather or not
their dealer sells clean MIX. some diaries
which dc not present a very fine APP
pearance produce the best milk, and vice
versa.
AND NOW THE COST.
The price paid by local wholesalers for
milk year ago and up to April was $50
for forty quarts. The standard milk can
contains forty quarts and the price Is usu-
ally reckoned upon that basis. On April
1. the price was advanced to $500 per forty
quarts and again on August first to $3.50
per forty quarts The outside wholesalers
pay $2.ss per forty quarts. but there il a
charge for freight, etc.. which reduces
the farmers to about 1-2 cents quart.
net proceeds.
Grain is high. you say Very true, but It
was high last winter and can you name
any farmer who is feeding grain during
the summer months? None of the ones in
terrogated yesterday could. Their own and
their neighbors herds were out in pasture
The cost Of grass certainly hasn't risen
during the year and it's more plentiful now
than 1t was last year, or has been for sew
eral years. Cows also dry somewhat dur
ing the summer and are bothered by flies
and insects SO that they do not give so
much milk, but that wouldn't account for
the increased price.
1t costs more this year perhaps for farm
| labor. but usually the farmer is unable
to get It, 30 that he doesn't pay out any
more money than ne did last year And
as regards the cost Of milking equipment,
II your selling price increased about So per
cent you could afford to pay a little more
| for equipment. couldn't you?
1t might seem as though the farmer was
taking advantage Of the public. Some
dairymen assert that they had oral con-
| tracts with the men who supply them with
milk whereby the price was to continue
at $500 per forty quarts during the sum-
mer months. But the outside wholesalers
fixed the price at $3.50 per forty quarts,
or were forced to do so by the New Eng
| land Milk Producers association. and the
others had to pay the same price or do
without the milk.
| There is one more factor which figures
largely In the present situation and that
| Is the selling Of mich cows and calves
to the butcher. Farmers have been urged
not to do so, and the statement has been
made that those in Chittenden county
were not doing so. One of the men visited
yesterday had just sold all of his calves
to the butcher. others were only raising
half as many as usual, and others were
cutting down their herd of mixers.
LACK COOPERATION.
There is apparent lack OF cooperation
on the part of the farmers near Burling-
ton. They can run their diaries without
anyone's help, which seems to be only
| too true when one considers the price Of
milk. and cooperation. to too many of them
conveys the idea that the other fellow ID
going to get something done at their OK.
pense. The farmers at Richmond built Z
cooperative creamery with Borden,
condensed milk factory in their town. Tn
creamery costs somewhere between SIS.
900 and $4,000. but the interest on the mon
: ey would have been paid II the plant ha.
been allowed to remain idle, which it wa
not.
A municipal creamery. by means O
which Burlington could compete with tn
} large outside wholesalers, which 1t reall,
has to do now. in a thoroughly unorganiz
ed state. might mean the beginning Of
. more equable adjustment Of prices. Co
operative delivery has already been sug
3 gested-and laughed at-but it would heir
make 1t safe. and would perhaps ALLOW
the repeal Of the tuberculin test dead let
ter clause. One dairy in Burlington vii
probably pasteurize its milk in the nea
, future Meanwhile the governments
control Of food prices would seem to b
more and more Of necessity.