The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-07-16
MILK FAMINE OR BETTER

ing milk famine by greatly under
paying the man who produces their
milk, is the opinion of Charles
staff, secretary of the Larrowe In
/ stitute of Animal Economics. Prices
consumers are now paying for milk,
makes impossible decent living to
the producer who is fortunate if he
Fan get $500 day"
| 1t takes a dairynan a full half
hour daily to milk feed and care for
one COW, says Mr. Staff. A dairy
man who has twenty cows must put
in ten hours day of solid work in
looking after them. Taking the
average production figures as basis,
these twenty cows will yield the
lairyman a gross return of $1,000
charge up $500 for feed, hay and
silage, and from the remaining
$500 must come taxes, interest on
On investment in equipment and
livestock, replacement of his cattle,
straw for bedding, veterinary SER
vice, repairs to building and equip
ment, and other miscellaneous
TENS. Taking everything into con
,ideration, it would be very con.
sentative to estimate these additional
expenses at $500 day, so for his
EN- hours of hard work, commencing
lot later than five in the morning
winter and summer, rain or shine,
lairyman is fortunate if he gets for
himself $500 day or zoe an hour.
This is less money than the poorest
paid worker in the city, and yet it
'equireS man of no small in
diligence to properly feed and care
for herd of cows and produce milk
of quality that will pass inspec
ion by the Board of Health.
A drastic change in the existing
dairy situation must come if the
larry industry is to be conserved
according to Mr.. Staff. The num-
Der of dairy COWS in the East is
gradually diminishing. Young folks
are not staying on the farm as the
older people reach the age when
they feel they can no longer bear
he burden, they also follow their
children to the city, or decide to
give up their COWS and live on what
means they have available. This is
all very serious to the city dweller
In the not too distant future, il
seems to me- that every large city
will find itself suddenly confronted
with milk famine, because the city
folks have stoutly resisted all efforts
of the producer to get fair living
wage for his work. And when that
time of famine comes, it will be toe
ate to correct the situation, because
t takes years to build up herds OF
dairy cows, and it will not be easy
to get dairymen back into the dairy
business after they have once gone
out of it.
IAN increase of one cent to the
farmer for every quart of milk de-
livered to the city home would &C
far toward remedying the present
serious state of affair The differ
snce in one month to the average
tamly would not represent the price
Of a single admission to a good
movie show, but the extra cent to
The farmer would mean the differ,
ence between a starvation wage and
a living return. 1T the dairyman
with twenty cows was paid one cent
more per quart for his milk, his net
return instead of being $500 per
lay would be $500 per day, and the
prospects are that city folks would
continue to get their milk at
reasonable price over great many
FEARS, instead of finding themselves
confronted in two or three years
With the necessity of paying Is or
20 cents quart
The individual dairyman can i'm.
)rove his own condition somewhat
~ the adoption OF better methods
which will show him how to get the
ording to Mr.. Staff. A system OF
cost records is of prime Importance
his should include the weighing
If the feed and milk of each COW
md the feeding of animals according
their individual production.
saving in feed, preservation of the
lealth of the cows and the produc,
ion OF the greatest amount of milk
Il which the cows are capable, are
mong the benefits to be derived
rom weighing the feed for eachNcow
:pportioned as closely as possible to
Ter milk production.
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