Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-12-06
THE MILK PROBLEM
NEEDS READJUST|NG
Badger Dairyman and Econo-
nist Sees Chance to Solve
Knotty Problem.
BY B. n. HiBBARD,
Agricultural Economist of the Univer-
sity Of Wisconsin.


Agricultural Economist of the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin,.
1t is the patriotic duty of each of us
who have dairy herds to know wheth-
er or not it is paying him to feed
his cows, and if it isn't, there is some
thing wrong. 1t is not a patriotic
thing to run a business at loss except
under very unusual conditions.
No Place for Guesswork.
airying ought to pay. In fact, it
does pay the skilled dairyman. But
the man who guesses at the amount Of
milk he is getting from each COW, or
from the herd, and guesses at the
amount of feed used, is likely
to do good deal of guessing
as to where he stands in the
whole matter. 1t is imperative that
dairying be done efficiently, and
the efficient are the ones who are going
to come through the present trying
times with success. The inefficient
will find that dairying doesn't pay, and
try something else which probably
doesn't pay any better.
The farmer must use his brains. He
Is told by group Of well-meaning peo-
pie not to sacrifice q calf for veal.
The farmer who doesn't know that a
veal calf, not intended for his herd,
loses him and the community money If
kept beyond q few weeks isn't much
Of farmer. This applies to the veal
calf from the dairy herd. Whatever
himself, and find the right way out Of
his troubles.
II he has big herd, and is a good
hand with machinery, perhaps a milk
ing machine will pay.
If he has good deal of blowing On
level land, possibly a tractor will pay.
There are ways of solving the farm
difficulties. These who find out these
ways will prosper.
Consumers Have Responsibility.
The consumer must not blame the
farmer for being inefficient. Consum-
ers are responsible for much ineffi-
cheney in the milk business. The de-
livery system is absurd but partly be-
cause of the time Of day people want
their milk-much unnecessary dr ing.
Or 1t is because some hOusekeeDer for
got to order in advance, and later asks
for an extra amount. Bottles cost Z
cents each and make but about p trips
Here is a cost Of third of a cent a
trip. It would be reduced If bottles
were returned promptly. Where GUS
toners break bottles they ought to pay
for them.
In many instances there are too
many dairy companies handling the
milk Of a city. How shall we get rid
of them? If one buys The others out
q general shout of monopoly" goes
up. Yet nothing short of a systematic
ing Of the business will ever give good
service at reasonable cost. Shall it be
cooperative or municipal? It may be
long time coming, but one or the
other is the answer. In the mean
time each may Go his bit oy making
1t as easy and economical as possible
for those with whom he deals.
In these times when we are overhaul
Ing our whole social economy with the
view Of increasing the efficiency of the
process, we can start many things
and try them out in way which we
would not likely do under more nor
NAL conditions. If the experiment
should prove worth WHILE it would
be foolish enough to go back to
WORKOUT method