Issued September 28, 1911. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY.—BULLETIN 138. & F ; A. D. MELVIN, Cuter of Bureau. aha ey MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON. BY GEORGE M. WHITAKER, M.A., Sc. D., In Charge of Market Milk Investigations, Dairy Division. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 1911, Glass iis . Fre ra Book __ C4#ewW, . oe : ~ Issued September 28, 1°11, eo EPA tVENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY.—BULLETIN 138, ] A. D. MELVIN, Cuter oF Bureau. THE MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON. be oe S OE Pm . r 2 LP & 1] ‘ BY vs GEORGE M? WHITAKER, M. A., Sc. D In Charge of Market Milk Investigations, Dairy Division, WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 1911, A 2} = j : , RS \w 4 FN ij \ THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. Chief: A. D. MELVIN. Assistant Chief: A. M. FARRINGTON. Chief Clerk: CHARLES C. CARROLL. Animal Husbandry Division: GEoRGE M. Rommet, chief. Biochemic Division: M. Dorset, chief. Dairy Division: B. H. Rawt, chief. Inspection Division: Rick P. Steppom, chief; R. A. Ramsay, ones WooDEN, and Apert E. BEHNKE, associate chiefs. Pathological Division: Joun R. Mouter, chief. Quarantine Division: Richarp W. Hickman, chief. Zoological Division: B. H. Ransom, chief. Experiment Station: E. C. ScoRoEDER, superintendent. Editor: James M. PIcKENs. DAIRY DIVISION. B. H. Rawt, Chief. Heimer Rast, in charge of Dairy Farming Investigations. S. C. THompson, in charge of Dairy Manufacturing Investigations. L. A. Roaers, in charge of Research Laboratories. GrEorGE M. WuirakeERr, in charge of Market Milk Investigations. Ropert McApaw, in charge of Renovated Butter Inspection. 2 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BurREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY, Washington, D. C., April 5, 1911. Srr: I have the honor to transmit the accompanying report on The Milk Supply of Chicago and Washington, prepared by Dr. George M. Whitaker, of the Dairy Division of this bureau, and to recommend its publication in the bureau’s bulletin series. Respectfully, A. D. MEtvriy, Chief of Bureau. Hon. JAMES WILSON, Secretary of Agriculture. \) CONTENTS. Part I.—Tue Mivx Suppry or CuHicaao. SS a a LB 0) 0 Se aa ee err G MORI GY. oie oa ene eae aa Bake S ek eee wien Poke nodes Uholieyisle tein) on At (ag | ee i ee eee ae LIST gpl | 2 > eee at yf a ae Bee ee Methods on Handling the miles. 2225s. ocesescs oo cdcswise ces tawdeeesecenars Methods of the large dealers—‘‘country bottling” ...............-.------- MethodsiorL the: amallidealers:2- 22: 23222. asc acscness- ot oe eee ceases Fiandling of milk im stores: ......2..-.....-.-- Poe ee eae Sone REP ek ve 1350) ess hels fee Gem tes pee eet eee a ee RUE A ES eo eee ae ae Organizations......... PE a eens ade eae eines Bobi tes eas Producers OFGANIZAtiONs. .....-... .-.2.-2.-00s5s00 Pe eee Dealers’ organizations..........-....----- Sees See ete te ae ae Aa oe Ae ieee mriyere Witton. 20 2a e223 doe de sen tease oe tee ee es OTC Se 4s Sai (ch CNW v) a (22): Ae ne ae Peer POCUOMn Uno ccc caw vaengowsaavecdu sce sccutcses cab cess = = Existing conditions.......... ea 1 ha Oi ats Biase 8 oes ke Oe crit INE AM eg ea ass oe Baa Cede kta ee ade aoe eat te sede The production of high-grade milk Parr II.—TuHe Mirx Suprty or WASHINGTON. i ee ee ey i a ee ee ee Methods of handling milk in the city Dealers’ and producers’ organizations Wholesale and retail prices PO ME SA CU Ng orci sh acne larvae Sas aan Awd adc aoe P25 aes ee we ce ok Tene cS EM CECI ns wd oon sicse suas Jahoenc ok eos sec os cS taecu lL te: ee PrN COUR Ore Nts a ace & Sanaa ee ie-c'e acne wae 4 swine temas Sods OSA 2 SS mae ae 6 16 18 ay, 20 20 20 Prate I. oles 1a IV. Ficure 1. 2. 3. 4. Puate V. Wie VI. Vi Ficure 5. 6. ILEUS TRATIONS. Part I.—CHICAGO. PLATES. General view of a high-class Chicago milk-bottling plant...........- Interior views of plant.shown in, Plate 1 o..22.- 222.22 yee Undesirable Chicapo milk planite..<<2 2... sc.wtnei. -¢. ceo eee Chicago city milk plants of the better class.........-.-0ccceseceres TEXT FIGURES. Map showing source of greater part of Chicago’s milk supply.....-... Map showing location of country milk-bottling plants supplying CHGS GO stck sect. ck Aeiitnt ee beeen ee peewee ee eee Monthly range of wholesale milk prices at Chicago. .......--- ie Summer and winter wholesale milk prices at Chicago.........-..--- Part II1.—WASHINGTON. PLATES. Handling milk for Washingtomss i202 <5.2cccss3 scence Sec ee eee Unloading milk at railroad stations in Washington...........-..-.-- Undesirable Washington milk plants. 2. ssc ceccecn cee ose meee Views in high-class Washington milk plants............--...-.----- TEXT FIGURES. Map showing source of most of Washington’s milk supply........... Chart showing decrease in death rate from diarrhea and enteritis in children under 2 years of age in the District of Columbia, following enactment of milk law Of 1895; <- 60d... s-c0cnssctcees 32 38 THE MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON. Part I—THE MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO. AMOUNT OF THE SUPPLY. Exact figures as to the amount of milk consumed in Chicago are difficult to obtain because of the peculiar reticence of the railroads regarding the amount of milk transported by them. Fortunately a similar condition does not exist in other large cities. One of the best examples is Boston, where the railroads make monthly reports to the State railroad commissioners of the amounts of milk shipped into the city. These figures are then furnished by the commissioners to the newspapers and other interested parties. In Chicago none of the railroads make any such reports; some absolutely refuse information, even to an official inquirer, and some make partial or guarded statements on the pledge that no use shall be made of them except in general compilations. But though official figures are lacking, some estimates can be made from which an approximation of the amount of milk used in Chicago can be reached. It has been estimated that the average daily per capita consumption of miik throughout the United States is 0.6 to 0.65 of a pint.! Applying the larger figure to 2,500,000 people gives 812,000 quarts a day. The consumption of milk according to all records available is greater in the North than in the South; hence it is fair to assume that the consumption in a northern city is above the average. It is also fair to assume that the tran- sient hotel population of a large metropolis like Chicago would materially swell the consumption. In 526 replies to 2,000 cards mailed to physicians, lawyers, business men, and laborers in Chicago by the Dairy Division the writers reported on an average a per capita consumption in their own families of 1 pinta day. That rate carried 1 Henry E, Alvord, Statistics of the Dairy, Bulletin 55, Bureau of Animal Industry, p. 48, 1903. if 8 MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON, through the whole population would give as the total consumption 1,250,000 quarts. This figure is probably too large, as 800,000 is too small. Various local authorities estimate the daily railroad receipts at between 25,000 and 30,000 cans, each holding 32 quarts. The health department in 19101 estimated the daily milk receipts at 31,245 32-quartcans. This would be about 1,000,000 quarts. Prob- ably the daily consumption of milk is not far from this amount. The health commissioner estimated that 152,000 cows furnished the city’s milk supply in 1908, which would make the average produc- tion 6.3 quarts per day per cow. The census of 1900 estimates the average yield of milk for each cow in Illinois at 5 quarts a day, and there is no doubt that the cows now producing milk for Chicago do better than the average for the State in 1900. His estimate for 1910 was 120,000 cows. SOURCE OF THE SUPPLY. Most of the milk supply of Chicago is produced within 60 miles of the city, and a 100-mile circle about the city would include nearly all of the dairies producing its supply, though in times of excep- tional scarcity in the summer sweet cream is shipped 200 miles. The production of Chicago’s milk within such a short distance of the city is in marked contrast with conditions in Boston and New York. Greater Boston has a population only one-third that of Chicago, but most of its milk supply is produced outside of a 50-mile circle, and some milk cars start 200 miles from the city.2 New York City, with a million more population than Chicago, receives practi- cally no milk from within 50 miles, and some of its supply comes from points as far away as 400 miles. The Chicago milk supply is chiefly produced in 24 counties, of which 11 are in Illinois, 8 in Indiana, and 5 in Wisconsin (see fig. 1). Occasionally a little milk comes from Michigan. Fully three- fourths of the total supply is produced in Illinois. Another peculiarity of the source of the supply of Chicago milk is that production has extended to the northwest much more than in other directions, and is not evenly distributed over the milk- producing territory, but is largely bunched in two counties in northern Illinois, which more than equal the combined production of the other nine milk-producing counties of that State. McHenry County, Il., is the third largest market milk producing county in the United States, being credited in the census of 1900 1 Report of the Chicago Board of Health, 1907-1910, p. 317. 2 The Milk Supply of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, Bulletin 81, Bureau of Animal Industry. pp. 8, 41, 1905. MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO. 9 with sales of 29,194,198 gallons. It is excelled only by St. Lawrence and Orange Counties, N. Y., with sales of 39,795,642 and 29,617,072 gallons, respectively. Kane County is the second milk-producing county in Illinois and the fourth in the United States, with 24,244,532 gallons. The significance of these figures will be more fully appre- Gated when it is realized that according to the 1900 census there were only eight counties in the whole United States where the sales were in excess of 20,000,000 gallons. That the milk supply of a city as large as Chicago is produced so near the place of consumption is somewhat remarkable, especially Z VC gt] RACINE Hienosna ) velar Imcnenrv| LAKE [BOONE oo iia) -J ae erie mo wu, a & S S 4 g Fia. 1.—Map showing source of greater part of Chicago’s milk supply. when we remember that its lakeside location cuts off the possibility of any milk production to the east and much of the north and reduces the field of supplies to the western and southerly sections. In spite of these conditions there is one reason for so large a pro- duction of milk comparatively near the city, namely, the fact that Chicago is not surrounded by a circle of suburban towns and cities or by large areas of land used by city people for rural residences and held at comparatively high building-lot figures. As compared with New York, Philadelphia, and Boston there is in the case of Chicago a somewhat abrupt transition from the thickly settled portion of the city to farming land. This is true to such an extent that some milk 92431°—Bull. 138—11——2 10 MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON. cars take on milk within 15 miles of the city, and there are two milk- shipping stations in Cook County, where Chicago is located, which sold 14,500,000 gallons during the census year 1900. So much terri- tory has been annexed to develop the ‘‘greater Chicago” idea that some dairying is carried on within the city limits, about 1,400 cows being kept for this purpose. The extraordinary development of production to the northwest is largely due to the energetic pushing work of the railroads running through that section in securing shipments of milk. The possibly accidental locating in this region years ago of some dealers who have become the largest in the locality may have been another element. Land values and dominating crops may also have had an influence. Traveling southerly from Chicago, one reaches in hardly more than an hour vast stretches of level fertile land admirably adapted to dairying, but largely devoted to corn. This land is so valuable that it is considered by many farmers as more profitable for corn raising than for milk production. The assertion is frequently heard that a farmer can not afford to produce milk on such high-priced land. The extension of the milk-producing territory to the north- west has carried it into the southern tier of Wisconsin counties. More recently, however, the business has been pushed in a south- easterly direction into Indiana, and most of the increase of late years has been in that direction. There has not been much extension of milk mileage in Illinois for several years. From 1906 to 1908 milk was rather scarce. During the winter of 1908-9 there was an oversupply, attributed in part to the number of people out of employment, in part to the cry of “‘trust,” many persons refusing to help fill the coffers of those whom they regarded as extortionists, and in part to the talk about unclean milk due to the agitation for more rigid inspection. This oversupply continued into the early summer of 1909, when a severe and continued drought curtailed the supply and caused an uncomfortable scarcity. During the fall and winter of 1909 and the spring of 1910 the milk supply was normal, with no excessive shortage or surplus, but the drought in July and August created a record-breaking shortage, to be followed by a comfortable ratio between supply and demand during the winter of 1910-11, which was a fairly prosperous one for the producers, one authority calling it ‘‘the most profitable period im local history.’ During the fall of 1910 the increased use of condensed milk in other places proved a benefit to the producers for the local market by creating a greater demand for their product, which made considerable inroads on the market milk supply and restricted the surplus. MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO, TRANSPORTATION AND FREIGHT. In spite of the aversion of the railroads to stating the amount of their milk shipments, the report of the Chicago health department for 1907-1910, page 317, publishes the following: Number of 8-gallon cans of milk delivered in Chicago by various railroads, 1898-1910, di Railroads. 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 Chicago & North Western........-- we Osmmeeee | 5, 400 5, 400 6, 000 6,500 8,500 9,000 10,000 Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paulsc2:ssccoe- 5s | 2,600} 2,660} 3,500] 4,000] 5,500] 5,500 6, 500 UMN OISI CGH ThAlS ose -- Soe ects base casacuiees 1,500 1,550 1,500 1,900 2, 300 2,300 2,500 Chicago Great Western........---.---.------- | 1,600] 1,600} 1,200} 1,550} 1,700} 1,700] 1,800 Wisconsin Central. ....-...-.---- SS STA | 800 800 700 | 1,000} 1,000} 1,000 1,000 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.........-.-..-. 800 800 700 900 950} 1,000 1,000 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe.........-...-.- 550 550 500 600 650 600 600 Grand Trunk Eee ttata es aiateleisisiniesa'aies arena a= meiare | 450 450 400 500 500 500 500 Rock Island 450 450 500 700 600 500 500 Bint 2S ete acnie CADE CHEE CASE oL poe ee 400 400 300 400, 450 500 500 Wa DASH nici siete cee rcmssensese sckiacct Sean 350 350, 300 420 400 400 400 PONS VW Al aes eee ioe aaa ee ee saw wma aise 300 350 400 550 300 300 300 Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis... -| 200 DOD Seances lances 300 300 300 IMOTIOT ee eee See vices ee hil wi na wells ojos e ues 150 150 200 200 250 300 300 Chicago & Eastern Tllinois...............-.--- 200 200 200 250 300 300 300 Baltimore & Ohio........- ee Re og Oe ee CO | 250 250 200 300 300 300 300 CHICA BOA SAI ON 3 5 oa oir anne bis aielean's 100 100 200 250 300 300 200 Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Electric. ...........- Bcaeiene See Ee ee coer (Eee ane cae) | ee | eee nS 200 Rigttled wiles ool adnc eis cae eewe soeen ces ears L, S00N N Sy a204)) 4,030! |e eens lee esce Jovrcsee | Eas Ota leks eset See msect ako toe swccees Sse | 16,100 | 17,560 | 20,125 | 24,150 | 24,300 | 24,800 27, 200 Railroads. 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 Chicago & North Western...........2..-2:..+: 10,000 | 11,000 11,000 11,000 12,000 12, 200 Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul..........-..-.-| 6,600 | 6,500 6, 500 7,500 8,000 8, 600 MUINGISICemurnl shee scr nontee cc ste cs ecee esses 2,600 | 2,600 2,600 2,600 1,865 1,775 ChICHEO Greab, WESUCID camaciacen os min cin n ese sons 1,800 1,700 1,700 1, 700 1,175 1, 400 WISCONSIN GENtTal = Foss ic.S<.8 aacisjae tae Bea cen 1,600 | 1,800 1, 800 1,800 940 800 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy................ 1,100 | 1,000 1,000 1,000 815 800 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe...............-- 600 609 600 600 500 300 Grand Trunk 550 500 500 500 520 500 APOC Re LS (AIC eee ete okie Sa eae eyes Serena Sas wim = 500 500 500 500 580 600 WORLO ects saeecs 500 500 500 500 550 620 Wabash....... 400 400 400 400 200 300 Pennsylvania 400 550 600 600 475 500 Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis.... 400 400 400 400 200 ancedncune MON ONS. = sash 2 ccceweadscshes-eGsecescecice ccs Ss 400 400 500 500 200 300 Chicago; &*Bastern Dlinois-.-.2.....2..<.22.+-: 350 400 400 400 60 25 Baltimore, OHIO. 222 cicncsislcoescee stasis san 300 300 300 300 425 480 (Ganterteroy (Cviale lito} ab ote a a eee toe a ee 300 300 300 300 315 200 Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Electric.............. 350 400 300 300 600 600 COWSRUSISOICIDYALIMUS 2.60 cots cell viceeisqcbew cs Sdl\sminleac culigecite sol dmecuecles ¢|aaiseeeacins 500 700 PAB Ue y WHEON Ese iS8.sc a cae a ones emacs sa| scmjec en a| oes nce cs leewaseneoc| name mice 230 400 INS CONAN EOUS ame era le laa claie sissies ole atniarsict eres aimee tel nd Side cll eieamelaarees | "se ciwehins 105 145 LS Ba i [se a ge Ss ee ee ee ee 28,650 | 29, 850 30, 000 30,000 30, 260 31, 245 From this it will be seen that the milk supply of the city comes in on about 18 different railroads, but nearly two-thirds of it comes over two lines entering from the northwestern territory previously noted. The relative amount of shipments over the different leading lines is as follows: Chicago & Northwestern Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Illinois Central Chicago Great Western IWWiISGONSETIN COT Ural 5 oa 2b ooo orcs epee hts: oyendyci fen Sede hanna ote mem eqn ue oes Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (OY CYE ase, Setee RES ei SA na eae Cos ee ee er ee or Per cent. 39 12 MILK SUPPLY OF CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON. The milk supply has steadily increased from year to year with the crowth of the city, and there has been a corresponding increase of milk shipments by the leading roads without much change in their relative standing. The roads doimg the largest business have not increased their milk mileage with the larger shipments. The chief change has been in a reduction of the number of individual shippers and an increase of business from the bottling plants. The large dealers who ship bottled milk by the carload ice it in the summer, but the supply of can milk comes in ordinary baggage cars, largely on passenger trains. It is in transit such a short time that no efforts at refrigeration are made. A single car of milk in cans may contain supplies for 50 or more dealers.