Hui IL

00020375045

erg

by |
‘

<a

ee é =

<= a 3

THE

MILK TRADE

Aew Pork and Vicinity,

GIVING

AN ACCOUNT OF THE SALE OF PURE AND ADULTERATED MILK—THE DAILY AND
YEARLY CONSUMPTION—TUE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY INVESTED IN THE BUSINESS—
THE MILK-DEALERS AND DATRYMEN OF ORANGE AND OTHER COUNTIES—INJURIOUS
EFFEOTS OF IMPURE MILK ON CHILDREN—ADVICE TO COUNTRY DAIRYMEN.

v
BY POW N MU LGA bY,

@Hith an ¥ntrovuction,
By Bi. 70 Prange MDs,

NEW, YORK:
FOWLERS AND WELLS, PUBLISHERS,

Ciunton Hart, 131 Nassau Street.
Boston, 142 Washington-et, } 18 53 [London, No. 142 Strand.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by
FOWLERS AND WELLS,

in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern
District of New York.

NEW YORK STEREOTYPE ASSOCIATION, “+ ° :
201 William Street. awd

Anitoturtion.

v

aed

BY -Ro Be BR ALE MOD:

——s

-Tue intrinsic importance of the facts and
figures so well presented in the following
pages, ought to secure for this little book the
earnest attention of the community, without
introduction or commendation from any one.
But, unfortunately, there is a degree of apathy
abroad on the subject of milk-food, from which
it has hitherto been impossible fully to arouse
the public mind. It is a matter of common
conversation among our citizens; it 1s a source
of continual apprehension on the part of moth-
ers and nurses; it is frequently asserted in
the newspapers; and it is the unanimous

iv INTRODUCTION.

declaration of medical men, that thousands of
children annually sicken and die in this city,
from the effects of bad milk. And the same
sad story is told, and the same medical testi-
mony is repeated year after year, and yet the
evil goes on unchecked—because, by this
traffic men can “ put money in their purses.”
Were placards to be posted around the
streets of this city and its suburbs, announcing
in glaring capitals that the mhabitants of New
York, Brooklyn, Williamsburgh, and Jersey
City, pay annually the sum of THREE MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS for adulterated and distillery or
slop milk; and nearly Aelf a million of dollars |
for the water with which both pure and impure
milk is diluted; and that nearly two thirds
of all the milk consumed in the above-named
places is a spuriously manufactured article,
would not the people, think you, reader, gaze
at the appalling proclamation in utter incre-
dulity or inexpressible astonishment? Would

they not wonder at the indifference of the

INTRODUCTION. Vv

ine Reh SO ee

swindled sufferers; be amazed at that silence
of our municipal authorities which is equiva-
lent to consent, and exclaim, more indignantly
than usual on occasions of outrage, “ Where
are the Police?” But, fellow-citizens, these
statements are diabolical facts and disgraceful
realities.

The records of our city mortality for the
last five or six years show an average number
of deaths of about seventeen thousand, Of
these seventeen thousand nearly one half are
of children under five. years of age, while
infants less than one year old make up almost
one fourth of the whole number. Thus we
may calculate, so long as the present order of
things continues, with almost unerring cer-
tainty, on the deaths of eight or nine thousand
children annually, which number will, of
course, augment as our population increases.

We do not see, among the returns made to
the Inspector’s office, any deaths from a disease
called milk-poison. The majority are desig-

vi INTRODUCTION.

nated as having died of convulsions, maras-
mus, diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera infan-
tum. Yet physicians tell us, most truly, that
a large proportion of all the above prevalent
diseases are caused by impure or adulterated
milk. It is very difficult for unprofessional
persons to perceive and understand the pri-
mary or predisposing causes of infantile dis-
eases, The immediate or exciting causes are
sufficiently apparent: as taking cold, indigest-
ible food, etc. But in most cases these excit-
ing causes would only induce temporary and
triflmg indisposition, were it not that some
morbific agent or agents, operating like a slow
poison, had produced a predisposition to dis-
ease; and the force of the morbific influence is
proportioned always to the extent of the pre-
disposition. The physician can, therefore,
readily comprehend how the habitual use
of swill milk will so impair the digestive
organs, and derange the nutritive functions,

that, in the warm season, when the organic

INTRODUCTION. vil

fibers are relaxed, and the determination of
ivritation is from the external surface to the
‘nternal mucous membrane, the slightest er-
ror in regimen may develop a fatal form of
bowel complaint; or in case no material error.
in the voluntary habits and nursing manage-
ment is committed, how the young child
shall gradually pine away, decline, and die
of atrophy, marasmus, or scrofula.

In hundreds of cases the symptoms of pois-
oning by swill milk are so obvious, that phy-
sicians at once impute the disease to this
cause, and prohibit the use of milk entirely.
And to this abstinence from bad milk are the
patients mainly indebted for their recovery.
In my own practice I have every year grown
more suspicious of distillery milk, whenever |
have seen a child presenting a sickly appear-
ance, loose, flabby flesh, weak joints, capricious
appetite, frequent retchings, and occasional
vomitings, irregular bowels, with tendency to
diarrhea, and fetid breath. This assemblage

Vil INTRODUCTION.

of symptoms is often attributed to worms;
but my experience has fully satisfied me that
slop milk is much more frequently the cause.
I have known these symptoms defy all medi-
cation, even of the Water-Cure kind, until the
milk part of the diet was entirely abandoned,
the parents all the while having the utmost
confidence in the special honesty of their milk-
man, and fully beheving that nothing but
“ Pure Orange County,” ever came into their
houses.

Infants and young children, however, are
not the only sufferers from the swill milk
trade. ‘Those who have ingenuity enough to
sell the filthy secretion from slop-fed cows, un-
der the name of milk, have also sufficient skill
in the way of dealing to make a compound
of swill milk, calves’ or hogs’ brains, molasses,
and chalk, which they sell under the name of
“Sweet Cream.” This, too, is always fresh
from “Orange” or “ Westchester” counties,

“ Long Island” or “ Connecticut!” ‘Those who

INTRODUCTION. ix

patronize ice-cream saloons, even the most
fashionable resorts, would have a better assur-
ance that eal cream was employed in the
preparation of cream cakes, cream pies, cream
ices, and other dainty “delicacies,” if they
should personally see to the milking, and
watch the process of setting, and skimming,
and marketing, and cooking, with their own
eyes.

But this subject has not merely a sectional,
it has a national importance. It is not in and
around New York alone that fortunes are
made by the manufacture and sale of swill
milk. All of our large cities, we have reason
to fear, are extensively engaged in the nefari-
ous business. And in most of the principal
cities of Europe, it is known to be among the
chief causes of infant mortality. And surely,
if there were no other causes of infantile dis-
eases in the civilized world, we would have no
occasion to marvel that children are hurried
from their cradles to their graves at a rapid

se

x INTRODUCTION.

rate, however much we might deplore that
ignorance which imputes to a “ mysterious
Providence” that which may more rationally
and less blasphemously be charged to human
cupidity and fraud.

And here a principle of immense import-
ance and of universal applicability suggests
itself—the relations of property to humanity.
Nothing can better illustrate the grand fund-
amental error of the world’s legislation thus
far, than the people’s acquiescence in the right
of a rich man to get richer, although the busi-
ness by which he swells his coffers costs the
lives of hundreds or thousands of his fellow-
beings; and this abuse of our social system
has one of its strongest demonstrations in the
spurious milk business.

Our statute laws and city ordinances declare,
and the common law ordains, that no man
shall sell poison to his neighbor under the
name of food or drink; nor an article which

is in any material respect different from what

INTRODUCTION. xl

it is represented to be. Yet two hundred
thousand quarts of distillery slops are distrib-
uted among our citizens every day in the year,
at four or five cents a quart, labeled “ Pure
Country Milk.”

Nor is this stupenduous cheat done in a cor-
ner. It seeks no hiding-place, but braves the
open day. Even in the densely populated
parts of our city, the huge piles of dark, dingy,
brick walls, from which thick clouds of smoke
and vapor ascend continually, denote the dis-
tillery, where thousands of bushels of grain are
daily converted into intoxicating liquor. But
this is not enough. The object of the distiller
is to get money. Why should he not econo-
mize? He has invested fifty or a hundred
thousand dollars of capital. Why should it
not be made to pay to the utmost? His prof-
its in liquor-making, though great, can te
vastly increased by using up the refuse slops
in milk-making. Why should he not do so?
Whosoever alleges that humanity requires of

X11 INTRODUCTION.

hii not to do this thing, must recollect that
he has a property interest in the matter.

The milkmen’s carts are seen, too, standing
around the long rows of pestilential cow sta-
bles, and going to and fro, at all hours of the
day. And, what is more remarkable than all
else, these things are seen by and known to
all men in the city having authority in the
premises; to the Mayor; to the City Inspect-
or; to the District Attorney; to the Alder-
men and Assistant Aldermen; to the Chief of
Police, and to the Board of Health. Why do
none of them interfere ?

Should any poor man, whose whole property
consists in a single cow, shut that cow up m
a dark, damp, close under-cellar, feed her on
the slops of his kitchen, or even on the swill
slops brought from the neighboring distillery,
and support his family by peddling out te his
neighbors fifteen or twenty quarts of such
milk a day, does any body believe, that after
the nature of his business was known, it would -

INTRODUCTION. Xili

be suffered to exist for a single week? No.
The strong arm of authority would come down
upon him. He might beg or starve, and his
family go to the poor-house or de, before he,
being a poor man, and hence of little conse-
quence in the world, would be allowed to
cause the death of any body.

But the rich man erects a large and costly
edifice. He keeps one or two thousand
cows on his distillery slops. His milk trade
amounts to ten or twenty thousand quarts
daily. He is a wholesale dealer, and hence is
not to be classed with the retailer above men-
tioned. If the milk sold by the retailer should
cause the death of one person he would be a
fair candidate for the gallows, or liable to con-
viction for manslaughter in some of its degrees.
But the milk manufactured and sold by the
wholesaler does actually cause the death of
scores or hundreds; yet who ever thinks of
arraigning him for murder? He walks in
“high life,” flourishes among the “ upper ten,”

X1V INTRODUCTION.

goes in the “first society,” and moves among
us a very paragon of respectability !

Let me draw a brief picture for his especial
benefit. Suppose a very poor man, who gets.
his living, as the manner of some is, by selling
ginger cakes—five for a penny—should, in
order to enhance his gains, use old, sour, musty
flour, plaster of Paris, saw-dust, and impure
sugar, instead of sweet, fresh flour, pure ginger,
and good sugar, in the manufacture of the
food he sells. Suppose, further, that this man
should sell a penny or two’s worth of his mer-
chandise to some rich man’s child—the dis-
tiller’s in Sixteenth Street, if you please—and
the child should eat the cakes, and be thrown
into a fit of sickness in consequence, finally
resulting in death—would not summary pun-
ishment be meted out to the offender, the
villain, the MURDERER, on proof of such facts ?
Is there, in any moral sense, any difference
between the poor cake-vender, and the rich
swill milk-maker, except that the latter can

INTRODUCTION. XV

not plead the temptation of want, nor the pal-
liating circumstance of seeming necessity ¢

Legislators have not yet, at least not gene-
rally, become sufficiently intelligent nor hu-
manitarian, to perceive the principle of eternal
right and universal justice, which asserts that
no one man can have a better right to prop-
erty than another has to life. As yet, in
the most enlightened countries, almost the
whole scope and tenor of legislation places
the protection of property far above the
sanctity of life. On what other supposition
can any one account for the existence of
such a nuisance as a distillery among us,
or the toleration of the impure milk traffic,
which every body knows is carried on exten-
sively among and around us?

Our law makers and law administrators
evade responsibility by affecting some vague
and indefinable regard for the rights of prop-
erty, the interests of business, the reserved

rights of individuals, etc., as though nobody

XVl1 INTRODUCTION.

had any business with rights save those who
work mischief and scatter misery. The dis-
tiller, too, has a way of proving himself im no
way morally, though he may be pecuniarily,
associated with his own business. And, indeed,
all parties to the fraudulent traffic seem to
have conveniently easy and elastic consciences,
which enable them to shirk all moral ac-
countability. The distiller himself does not
directly sell any of his swill milk. His hands,
he appears to think, are clear enough of that
murder. He only sells his refuse slops to
others; or, rather, he keeps other persons’ cows
on this food, at so much a head per week.
For all he cares, his customers, who own the
cows, may feed the milk they take away from
the stables to thei cows or pigs, or eat it
themselves. He knows they will sell it to the
people under the fictitious name of “ Pure
Milk.” But does his knowing it make it so ?
Such is his “lower law” subterfuge. And

then the peddler who owns the cows, has an

INTRODUCTION. Xvii

equally legitimate method of “ whipping the
devil round the stump.” He buys the milk-
making slop, and pays for it. The people buy
milk made of slop of him. Isn’t this a fair
business transaction? It is no worse for him
to sell it to the people who are willing to pay
for it, than for the distiller virtually to sell
it to him; and as for the label, “ Orange
County,” that is only the way of trade; and
so he logically twists himself out of all orig-
inal or imputed sin or iniquity in the trans-
action.

But I am perhaps expatiating too largely on
such thoughts as the reading of the work
before us can hardly fail to suggest. I will
remark, however, in conclusion, that the chief
and great excellency of the work, consists in
its giving a fair, faithful, and impartial view
of the whole milk trade—its wses as well as
abuses. Other works have dwelt with just
severity, yet almost exclusively, on the evil
effects of impure milk. But this author has

XVill INTRODUCTION.

given us a complete history of both good and
bad milk. And unless our City Inspector,
whose special duty it is to see to the abate-
ment of all nuisances, shall turn his attention
officially to distilleries and their accompanti-
ments, the cow stables, there is httle hope of
any beneficial change, except in arousing the
public mind to the importance of pure milk,
and spreading abroad such general informa-
tion as will increase the supply of the pure
article, for which purpose the work now com-
mended to the public is admirably adapted.

—« Cantents.

Chapter One.
First Establishment of Country Milk Dairies—Adulterated and Swill Milk—Trans-
portation of Milk over the Harlem, Erie, and Hudson River Railroads. -Page 21
Chapter Two.

Increased Supply of Pure Country Milk—The Milk Freight of the New Haven
Railroad—The New Jersey Country and Swill Milk—Daily Supply of Country
MON sre evita rine ae aed eie A date ade 6B cata de becca eee Se eS one 31

Chapter Three.

Fraudulent Practices of Swill Milkmen—Description of a Swill Milk Establish-
ment, and its Internal Economy—Disgusting Practices and Brutality of those
PUD OPP SNES eens Sno oc.n sis vs cin bse! ais ow a basen vated eed oa cas 89

Chapter Four.

Profit of the Swill Milk business—Great Mortality and Disease among Cows fed
on Swill—The Drivers of Milk Carts, the Stable Keepers, and the “Small Deal-
grer——Proceen of Adulteration. «cies p meee, CoM ree tie eek ok ok oe 49

Chapter Five,

Oow Stables of London—The City Inspector and the Swill N uisance—Diary of a
Cow Stable—The Fortieth Street Establishment .......... Sane RS Kaaeime ates 58

xx CoNnrTENTS.

Chapter Sir.

The Swill Milk Business in Williamsburg, Wallabout, and Brooklyn—Milk Trans-
ported from those Places to New York—The Milk Carrier—Manufacture of
Buttermilk—The Jersey City Milk Business -.-..-...--..---.-------- Page 65

Chapter Seven.

The Milk and Dairies of Orange ounty—The Quality of Milk Affected by the

Diet of Cattle—Bovine Instinct and Antipathies—Process of Cooling Milk.. 7
Chapter Bigdt.

Profits of Country Dairymen—Great Increase in the Supply of Milk by the Erie
Railroad—The Stabling and Food of Cattlh—A Word of Advice to Dairy-
HUE aie Co tsos SDR BE ESOT nOGnE > Soc 007 POU SSC ILO OeEA ano ogcbeEe os asec coe 86

Chanter Nine.

Estimate of Capital Invested in the Milk Business—Yearly Receipts from the

retehteyCopmacen DM ob aVes Woy ih Gilles Aire ee eS BS en tascam es csgcde SS: 93
Chapter Aen.

Necessity for an Ordinance to regulate the Sale of Milk, and to prevent its Adul-

teration—History of the Orange County Milk Association...-.....----...-- 101
Chapter Bileven.

Importance of Milk as an article of Diet—Infant Mortality produced by Impure
Milk—Chemical Analysis of different kinds of Milk—A Case of Fatal Milk
Sickness—Nutritious Properties of Milk—Conclusion .....-..+---------+« 110

The Wilk Crare.

Chagivr One.

First Establishment of Country Milk Dairies—Adulterated and Swill Milk—Trans
portation of Milk over the Harlem, Erie, and Hudson River Railroads.

Ir is now about fifteen years since the importance
of this subject was first brought to the notice of the
public, in a series of lectures delivered by Mr. R. M.
Hartley, upon the use of impure and unhealthy milk,
and its pernicious effects upon the general health.
The facts that were then made known caused consid-
erable excitement throughout New York and its vi-
cinity, and the gentleman who had the hardihood to
expose the evil with a view to its correction, me
not only with the opposition of those interested ir
the manufacture of what is called ‘“swill milk,” but
was actually assaulted for his temerity. The excite-
ment, however, was productive of good effects, and
resulted in attracting the attention of the public to

22 Tue Mirtx Traps.

the best means for the removal of the grievances
complained of.

Dairies for the sale of pure country milk were
then, for the first time, established, and despite the
exertions of the distillers and others interested in
the sale of the bad milk to injure them in every pos-
sible way, they have succeeded, to a great extent,
in supplying the city with the healthy article. It
will hardly be credited that, at the time the subject
was first agitated, there was not one dairy in the city
for the exclusive sale of pure country milk, and the
only means by which it could be obtained was by
having it conveyed direct from the country, in cans,
to the persons requiring it. In this way the custo-
mer is always certain of obtaining it pure from the
cow, for we never knew of a case in which it was
adulterated by the farmer. This seems to be a prac-
tice which belongs exclusively to our city dairies
and milkmen.

In fact, so apprehensive are some families as to
the quality of milk that is sold in New York, that
they will not purchase it at the dairies, but must
have what they require for their own use sent in
from the country; and these apprehensions would

Port anvp Impure MILx. 23

seem to be well founded, if we might judge from an
instance that recently occurred in this city, where
swill milk was furnished in place of the pure article,
and in direct violation of the contract made between
the parties.

The great caution of such persons is not to be won-
dered at, when we consider the deleterious effects
of bad milk upon the human system, and particular-
ly upon the health of infants, whose weak constitu-
tions render them more liable to be affected by it.

Milk is the principal article of food of all chil-
dren, and when it is impure it is not reasonable to
suppose that they can be healthy. Hundreds of
them die annually in New York from sickness pro-
duced by it alone; but as this is a subject that
would require a separate chapter, we will leave its
consideration for another time.

We have said that there are dairies for the sale of
pure country milk in this city, and we know, from
actual experience, that it can be purchased as it is
procured from the cow, but at a somewhat higher
cost than it is generally furnished by milkmen.
The number of persons and companies engaged in

the sale of pure milk, is estimated at two hundred

24 Tue Mitx TRADE.

and fifty, or about one half the number of those whe
sell the impure kind.

When we speak of pure milk in connection with
city dealers, we mean to be understood as speaking
only of milk that is not adulterated by the admix-
ture of chalk or whiting, magnesia, molasses, flour,
starch, and other foreign substances, but which is
simply diluted with water and flavored with a little
salt to keep it sweet. After all, this diluting it with
water is perfectly innocent in comparison with the
horrible, murderous system that some dairymen
adopt to make the pure milk profitable ¢o themselves
and injurious to their customers. Water weakens
the article, but does not render it unhealthy and
untit for the use of human beings; but when we
come to speak of drinking a compound of milk,
chalk, molasses (and some say calves’ brains, but
this we can not believe), it is another thing.

The quantity of milk manufactured in this way
is not so large as that made from distillery grains
and swill, and which, as we have already intimated,
forms about two thirds of the quantity consumed in
New York, Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, and Jersey
City. A great proportion of the swill milk itself is

WestcHesteR County Mriux. 25

rendered even still more unhealthy and pernicious
by adulteration. We have, at great labor and
trouble, been enabled to collect the following sta-
tistics in relation to the amount of milk conveyed
by the different railroads to the city. We find,
from the freight account of the New York and Har-
lem Railroad, that the quantity sent from the differ-
ent stations along this route exceeds that received
over any other road. The milk is chiefly from
Westchester county, which is said to contain some
of the finest grazing land in the state of New
York, and it is believed by some to be equal to the
far-famed Orange county milk. The milk is by
some considered as more healthy for children; but
this may be regarded as a mere matter of fancy.
The subjoined table gives the exact quantity re-
ceived by the Harlem road, and the amount of re-
ceipts during the year 1851.

Receipts. Quarts.

DRMUBIYS o:.2 2 oe ose ean $3,521 14 704,228
Petwoury.c.- 22 sa sess ye oe 3,382 04 666,408
Mareh os 26+ 02 5A ee eee 4,101 36 820,272
I 5 ao a echt = igs a a Be . 4,988 31 987 ,662
BUPA oc es Lae 2 a eee eae 6,590 77 1,318,154
UNG 38 ik Re ORR Sattes aay 7,124 08 1,424,816
WCE ec ceo a $29 607 70 5 921,540

26 Toe Mitx TrRape.

Receipts. Quarts.

Amount brought forward.. $29,607 70 5,921,540
EL ae ikea a Ret 7,546 94 1,509,888
a Nee fe 1S) Pea ree ance a Mg 6,457 22 1,291,444
Bepvember Ok Sioa yes eae 5,392 50 1,078,500
MPCGOWI ET OER oe ER Ge Upc Sel ons ae . 4,968 68 992,736
NOVRINDER ooo nee eae b ees 4,588 89 917,778
Diveniber poy odaee waco lee 4,613 96 922,792
Gta See tele s a, $68,120 89 12,684,178

This table gives us 12,634,178 quarts as the
quantity sent over this road in one year, or a daily
average of 34,614 quarts. The revenue which the
company derives from this one article of freight is
very considerable, amounting, as may be seen by
reference to the table, to $63,120 89.

Five years ago the receipts were not more than
half as large; but so great has been the demand
for the pure milk, that during the present year there
has been a great increase in the amount. For one
day—the 11th of July, 1851—we were informed by
one of the agents of this road, the total receipts of
milk amounted to 40,800 quarts. The cost of trans-
portation throughout the route is about one half
cent per quart, and the milk is sent in cans capable
of containing from ten to twenty, and sometimes as
many as thirty gallons. To the facilities presented
by this road for the transportation of milk, the pub-

Minx STATISTICS. oF

—_—

lic are much indebted for the increased supply ob-
tained during the present year. Asa proof of this,
it is only necessary to refer to the following table,
and to compare it with that already given. It pre-
sents an accurate account of the milk receipts during

the first six months of the present year :

Receipts. Quarts.

HVRTY shoe SEs Re godt ek hts $4,767 29 958,458
Bepitary <. eset tee Ss 4,673 14 934,628
retin s oe ie bbe ceaeisca 5,602 86 1,120,572
AE eres. eae) gee o sks teats ee 6,129 07 1,225,814
1 RINE Rp AR See RANE SEE a 8,226 28 1,645,256
OWBE Sitios ess: eee teee me Se 9,547 95 1,909,590

Total ouch oe sitet $38,946 59 7,789,318

During the first six months of 1851 there were
5,921,540 quarts of milk received at the Harlem
Railroad depot, or 1,867,778 less: than the amount
transported over the same road for the first six
months of the present year.

The amount of milk transported over the Erie
Railroad from the date of its opening in 1842 to the
close of June, 1850, amounted to 53,713,244 quarts.
In 1843 it did not exceed 3,181,505 ; but each suc-
ceeding year it increased more than a million of
quarts, and in 1851 the quantity supplied from the
same source was 12,610,556. This presents an in-

28 Ture Mirtx TRADE.

crease of 9,439,051, for the transportation of which
alone $47,195 26 were received. The following
table, however, gives the monthly receipts, which
will be found more satisfactory, as exhibiting the

great increase which has taken place:

Receipts. Quarts.

PRRURT YS ee a ee Rey $3,260 90 652,180
Ae Dear airy i See es oe a ta 3,042 60 668,520
ORS te: Ee oe eo 4,208 55 841,710
12.1) (ol ee a Ine am nt Ae Rs ar 5,007 25 1,001,450
PVRS ya ois en a rons MS Nha ee: ee ee 6,802 50 1,360,500
Rai Sef! Hee eo he eae 7,403 30 1,4803660
BONG okie eee cen aha, tae Gate 8,481 45 1,686,290
PTE Sy are Ea eatin cick ete ee 7,248 55 1,449,710
Bepremibers | vce eee e keio ca 5,734 20 1,146.840
OPEN WEn 528 eo? See ee 4,505 95 901,190
Movember = S82 PC a ee ace 8,703 80 740,760
Becembericce coos See . 8,408 70 680,740

Total so. St See eS: $63,052 78 12,610,556

The increase for the first half of the year 1852
is very large, being more than one half the amount
received during the year 1851. The comparison
may be made from the following table, presenting

the receipts during the first six months of 1852:

Receipts. Quarts.

PCUMAT Yoo a tasteless ks. SRR $3,840 95 668,190
emmy ie Ba eae odd x Sk See 3,463 05 692,610
as herd ye es oe te 4,889 95 877,990
3 alc Ny | aC ae ec 8 4,995 75 999,150
ID oe icin sever SS os tes cos 7,119 95 1,428,990
Hii) pep aes ai re Sia Se Cael. eae 8,701 50 1,740,300
TO ahs wis ee ee. $32,011 15 6,402,230

STATISTICS CONTINUED. 99

It is, comparatively speaking, a very short time
since the Hudson River Railroad was opened, yet
the amount of milk now sent over it from the differ-
ent stations, to a distance of about eighty miles
from New York, is very considerable. The road,
it will be remembered, has not been more than
three years in operation, and the receipts for the
first two years were small in comparison with the
amount at present received. The first milk freight
did not exceed four hundred quarts, and the re-
ceipts therefor amounted to about two dollars. Of
the many stations along the route, the greatest
quantity is sent from Sing Sing, Peekskill, Starks-
burg, and Stuyvesant. The other stations are
Dearmans, Tarrytown, Croton, Crugers, Garrisons,
Fishkill, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, and East Camp.
The annexed table gives the amount conveyed to
the city by this road for the year commencing Au-
gust, 1851, and ending July, 1852:

Receipts. Quarts.
MSUOAT 52.2 ane 2 pe see rere aceatans $630,05 144,012
September... 5245. cs0n Sade eee ts SLO: 26 116,518
October’... ig.) Sasa eee ete. 404; 86 92,540
November....-...- ERY Pei Se Eee 837 68 77,184

$1,882 85 480,254

30 : Tare Miutx TRADE.

Receipts. Quarts.

Amount brought forward .. $1,882 85 430,254
Degeushen 2. 2s. s aes Ac kd oon Ss ae 332 87 76,084
Pree to ee, Be late oe bees 332 89 76,096
US GTA opiate SS ersncin in cee Sand aie wake 304 27 69,548
aren: velo seek. egy SMILE eel 373 82 85,220
PAPE Ig 2 Sehe weiss Metet rs Seni he Cane 899 49 91,812
VDSS fo od eee een ete cere me i 695 17 158,896
UMC. oerok tac ae eRe ADM Toot Ss 890 80 203 ,616
SU yes eh chase ke ye amiga ad pase 906 12 207 ,112
HOG Ne en er ae eels $6,118 48 1,898,138

This, it must be admitted, is a large addition to
the annual amount of milk consumed in the city.
It tends to the partial decrease of the impure and
adulterated milk, and we may look forward with
hope to the time when, through the agency of

steam, the whole traffic in it will be destroyed.

Chapter Cw.

Increased Supply of Pure Country Milk—The Milk Freight of the New Haven
Railroad—The New Jersey Country and Swill Milk—Daily Supply of Country
Milk.

In the preceding chapter we gave the amount of
milk brought over the Erie, Harlem, and Hudson
River Railroads during one year. From those sta-
tistics, it will be seen that the supply received in
the city during the three months of summer is more
than double the quantity received in winter. For
instance, the number of quarts transported over
the Erie Railroad in July of 1851 amounted to
1,686,290, while during the month of January of
the same year it did not exceed 652,180. This is
attributable to the scarcity of the proper vegetable
diet in the winter season, and to other causes, which
will be explained hereafter.

In 1841, as estimated by Mr. Hartley, the daily
supply was about 45,000 quarts, or 16,405,000 for

32 Tue Mitx Traber.

the twelve months; and of this but a very small
proportion was pure. In fact, it was impossible
then to procure it from the country, for the whole
business was monopolized by the swill milkmen.
The quantity of the pure article at present received
from the country exceeds the aggregate of all kinds
in 1841, when New York had a population of
312,000. |

When it became generally known, however, that
pure milk could be obtained at a little more than
the price paid for the manufactured article, all that
could be transported over the railroads met with
immediate sale. But still, strange to say, there was
no perceptible reduction in the quantity of the im-
pure and adulterated kind, and the slop and swill
establishments were as flourishing as ever till about
five or six years ago, when the daily distribution
was diminished by a few thousand quarts. This,
though a trifling decrease, is still sufficient to prove
- that a larger supply of the pure country milk would
diminish the sale of the unhealthy kind, to a great
extent, if it should not wholly abolish it.

By the New Haven road, during the year 1851,
there were 907,332 quarts sent to the city, the

INCREASED SuppLy or Pure Mixx. 33

transportation of which cost $4,336 69. This is
small in comparison with the quantity received by
the other roads, but it is only a few years since
milk was first transported over it. The following
table exhibits the monthly receipts during 1851:

Receipis. Quarts.

OCT AN RR a aera $217 04 43,408
BiemRUar prone Seo see Ud ee eo aes 222 38 44.476
UE Geers eee ie ee is ae eg 277 O07 55,412
DEIEEMR SS aes we tl ea ey eee Le ee 63,536
MVE meister ah ie PS eal Sek cia GO 85,236
SY EMTEE etry ak at ot pe) eS ata SW ie, 500 40 100,008
Flat) 2 aerate) oats ieee eae Went MER a 574 12 114,824
PROS. ae StS ome = aes ab aes OO 2: Eh 110,524
IEMs A eee Sars 362 40 72,480
Weter a2e ele ees oe Nese chee or As 315 387 63,072
Waveminek ss) 2052-8 Soe e eos 291 94 58,388
MIRCCMI MOR 22> co5 oo sre t he ce ees 279 48 55,896
Petal s/5 oh aug, eens eet ee ok $4,336 69 907 832

The increase for the first six months of the pres-
ent year (1852) is very large, as may be seen by
the annexed table. The quantity received during
that period was 621,220 quarts, or more than double
the receipts for the first half year of 1851.

Receipts. Quarts.

ANS abegee RR Rape gp sire nil = Ss RS BE $418 65 83,608
Fobriery...22..-.) set aeien Jos. S28 f 405 42 80,884
RESO nic. seek eee Lee 489 51 97,888
Apr ce. . 1. 2-38 Ree eee ae 475 40 95,288
RIG is is tah Sees! 2 GO TO 117,540
PURE clos. aluca eee eee us 2 78-26 TAGE
Potalse OSs eee ea a $3,126 97 621,220

34 Tak MitkoPhesps:

The report of the freight business of this road
next year will, it is expected, show a still larger
increase. The farmers whose lands lie sufficiently
near any of the stations along the route, to enable
them to transport their milk to New York, are only
beginning to enter into the business with spirit.
They perceive how profitable it may be made, and
many who possessed only a dozen head of cattle a
few years ago, are now rapidly increasing their
stock to supply the constantly increasing demand
for milk. The land is excellent, and peculiarly
adapted for pasturage, and there is every reason to
believe that in four or five years hence, it will
become to New York what Westchester county is
now.

The milk received from Jersey is very limited in
comparison with the quantity procured from other
quarters. The country does not afford such good
pasturage as either Orange or Westchester county,
and the farmers do not devote so much of their
attention to the raising of cattle. But although
Jersey can not in any sense be called a ‘ land flow-
ing with milk and honey,” the city supplies New

York with a considerable proportion of its swill milk.

JERSEY MILK. 35

Several thousand quarts of this stuff are brought to
us by the boats weekly, although, strange to say,
the people of that city are themselves supplied by
New York milkmen, who, we understand, furnish
them.with the pure article. This is certainly re-
turning good for evil, a Christian magnanimity for
which it is hoped the Jerseyites will ever hold us
in grateful remembrance. The pure country milk
is chiefly obtained from New Brunswick and Eliza-
bethtown, whence it is brought over the railroad to
Jersey City and thence to New York. The cost of
transportation from Elizabethtown is six cents for
every forty quarts, and eight cents for the same
quantity from New Brunswick.

The following is the report of the freight agent, of
the amount of milk brought over the road from
those places since the 1st of January, 1852:

Receipts. Quarts.
STE a ioe ae Oe ee ae 2 $84 96 42.680
PS DURALY: ooo teen os es Awets ace a 120 96 61,760
MUBEOIES eS cas Soa ele nek bee cea 119 68 60,800
Y 1) tRNA cag de 133 76 67,720
Magi: )< «3 Sate eee Senet ss © 177 84 91,320
PURO DS. Sodas Soe ae ce dod OS 78,560
Dey Ee . Fasc sc eis sane desks was 153 92 79,360

Total ............-.+2-.-------- $945 20 482,000

36 Ton Miitx«x TRADE.

In addition to this, there are about one thousand
quarts brought to Jersey City every day by the
Ramapo and Paterson Railroad, which, added to
the foregoing, gives a total of 695,000 quarts trans-
ported over the two roads from the Ist of January,
1851, to the end of July. From Elizabethport, the
steamboat Red Jacket brings to this city 1,500
quarts daily, and about fifteen hundred quarts are
received from Newburgh by barges.

That our readers may perceive at a glance the
quantity of pure milk transported to this city from
_ the country by the railroads and boats, we give the
following table, exhibiting the daily average for the
year 1852, down to the end of June:

Receipts. Quarts.

By the Harlem road...-...-........ $2138 99 42,798
By the Mrietoad es. see cea be ee 175 89 35,177
By the Hudson River road -.......... 16 46 3,762
By the New Haven road............. 17 18 3,413
hy tne ersey BOG. 54. 2 ak wot oc es 4 44 2,263
By the Ramapo and Paterson road.... 3 00 1,000
By steamboat Red Jacket............ 5 00 1,500
By barges from Newburgh...--....-. 7 50 1,500
PROUAN ety he ah acne che wie mas $443 46 91,418

The apparent disproportion of the prices of
freight by the various conveyances, is caused by

Daity Suprrty or Pure Mick. oe

the difference in the distance from which it is
brought. We find from this table that there are
91,413 quarts of pure milk received in this city
daily, but it would be a great mistake to suppose
that this milk is supplied as pure as it is furnished
from the country. Those only who are initiated
into the mysteries of the milk trade here can have
any adequate idea of the frauds perpetrated upon
the public. We are certain we do not overesti-
mate the quantity, when we say that of the milk
used by private families one-fourth is water, and a
mixture of chalk, flour, molasses, and other ingre-
dients. There are a few companies in New York
which sell the milk as it comes from the cow, but
the quantity is very small when compared with the
adulterated kind.

A well-practiced eye can tell at a glance what
proportion of water is added, and we have been
informed by a person experienced in these matters,
that he has seen milk one third of which consisted
of water mixed with chalk, magnesia, or some other
substances, which gave it an appearance of consist-
ency. The adulteration of milk, however, is too
important a matter to be discussed in a single

38 Tort Mixtx TRADE.

—_———

chapter. We merely mean to show here, that the
quantity of country milk, both pure and adulter-
ated, consumed daily, exceeds 100,000 quarts, for
which about $6,000 is paid, by private families,
hotels, confectionaries, restaurants, ete. It must
not, however, be supposed that the practice of adul-
teration is confined to country milk, for a large
proportion of the produce of the swill stables is
subjected to the same process. The ninety thou-
sand quarts sent in from the country, is increased
to about one hundred and twenty thousand, with
the aid of the ingredients already named.

Chapter Ghree.

Fraudulent Practices of Swill Milkmen—Description of a Swill Milk Establish-
ment, and its Internal Economy—Disgusting Practices and Brutality of those
Employed in them.

We have already stated that the swill milk daily
consumed in this city, Williamsburgh, Brooklyn,
and Jersey City equaled about two thirds the quan-
tity of the pure country article, that is, near one
hundred and eighty thousand quarts. This, how-
ever, it must be understood, is not produced in
New York alone, for there are extensive cow stables
in the neighboring cities, from which the city re-
ceives large supplies by steamboats. Every morn-
ing about three o’clock, the boats upon the different
ferries are crowded with milk wagons coming from
the “sister cities” to distribute the poison among
our people. Some of these vehicles are labeled
‘Pure Country Milk,” ‘‘ Westchester County
Milk,” ‘‘ Orange County Milk,” etc., so that those

40 Tan. Manx Traps.

who receive it are under the impression that it is
the pure article with which they are supplied. ‘This
system of deception, although frequently exposed
through the press, is still in fatally successful ope-
ration. It is true, that some of the milkmen driving
these wagons do supply their customers with excel-
lent milk, but the number is very small when com-
pared with those who do not. There was one man
engaged in the business who put up a notice that
he sold “ only pure milk and water,” and so implicit
was the confidence placed in his word that his
business was very extensive.

We have computed, as accurately as possible, the
number of cows on this island which are fed upon
grain, swill, and other slops, and find them amount-
ing to about four thousand. Of these, more than
one-half are kept in stables connected with distiller-
ies, and the remainder are to be found in various
sections of the city where stable rent is cheap.
Some are as far as three and four miles beyond the
city limits, and to these the swill is carried in bar-
rels upon carts. The most extensive distillery in
the city is that owned by a Mr. Johnson, at the foot
of Sixteenth Street, on the North River. It pro-

Fraups or MILKMEN. 41

duces more swill than any other in New York, and
it is said, even more than any other in the United
States. Whether this is correct or not, it is not
necessary to inquire, but of one thing we are certain,
that it is one of the greatest nuisances which has
ever been tolerated by our authorities.

We do not refer to the manufacture of spirits, for
with that we have nothing to do in this connection,
we simply allude to the production of swill for the
use of cattle, and the evils inflicted on the commu-
nity thereby. Thousands of barrels of this horrible
stuff are consumed weekly by the miserable-looking
and diseased animals confined in the stables to which
we have referred. This, of course, is a source of
considerable revenue to the owner of the distillery,
whose interest it is to support the sale of the swill
milk, and to discountenance that of the pure article
from the country. He makes thousands of dollars
yearly by this branch of his business alone. The
price paid for the board of each cow is six cents per
day, or about twenty dollars a-year, and, estimating
the number of cows kept in the Sixteenth Street
stables at two thousand, the yearly income will be
found to amount to forty thousand dollars. This is

49 Tae Mitx TRADE.

an immense sum of money, and it would require
more than ordinary strength of principle to resign a
business so lucrative, from motives of public philan-
thropy.

The sale of swill, as we have stated; is not confined
to the stable in the immediate vicinity of the distil-
lery, but extends even to a distance of three or four
miles from the cit¥. Some of our readers, doubt-
less, have seen the vehicles in which it is carried—
heavy lumbering carts, with one or two barrels, be-
smeared with swill and dirt, and emitting a most
offensive odor. They are drawn each by one old,
broken-down, spavined horse, and occasionally by a
team of oxen. Crowds of these carts during “swill
days” may be seen around the distilleries, waiting
their turn, and so large is the quantity sold in this
way that a whole day is often consumed in its distri-
bution. The price per barrel is about a shilling, and
many thousand barrels are disposed of weekly for
the use of cows and pigs.

As the only object of the men who keep these
cows is, to turn them to the most profitable account,
the expense is curtailed in every possible way.
They are allowed no straw for bedding, but a very

o

A Moprrn AUGEAN STABLE. 43

small quantity of dry feed, consisting of hay and
grain, is given them, and the floor on which they are
compelled to le, is generally covered with ordure.
As comparatively little is known of the internal
arrangements and general management of these
establishments, we will give a description of the one
to which we have referred as the largest in the city.
This stable is situated at the toot of Sixteenth Street,
between the Tenth Avenue and the North River.
The buildings and ground are owned by Mr. John-
son, the proprietor of the distillery adjoining, from
which the cattle are supplied with the swill or slop.
There are, properly speaking, three stables running
parallel with each other, from the avenue to the
river. They were all originally constructed of
wood, but it was thought prudent, in consequence
of a fire which broke out in one of them about four
years ago, and which destroyed a considerable
amount of property, to rebuild some of them with
brick. Their length is from five hundred to seven
hundred feet, and each one is made to contain be-
tween six and seven hundred cows. Their appear-
ance outside is any thing but’ inviting, and the
stench can sometimes be perceived at a distance of

44 THe Mitx Traps.

a mile; but the exterior, disgusting as it is, conveys
no adequate conception of the interior.

The cows are ranged in consecutive rows, of four-
teen or fifteen to a row, and are separated by wood-
en partitions which do not extend further than the
animals’ shoulders. At the head of each row is the
trough which contains the swill, and to one of the
boards which forms the frame-work immediately
above this, the cows are secured by a rope fastened
round their necks. The unfortunate animals are so
placed as to be almost constantly over this trough,
except when lying down; and even that position,
instead of affording them rest, only subjects them
to a new torture, for the ground-floor of these stables
is saturated usually with animal filth. It is almost
needless to state that stables kept in this condition
can not be wholesome, and that the atmosphere
which pervades them would, of itself, be sufficient
to taint the milk, and render it unfit for use. The
ceiling is from seven to eight feet high, and gener-
ally at one end of the stalls is a small room where
the cans, and other utensils required in the business,
are kept.

This room serves also the purposes of an office,

Switt DretlIts EFrrecrs. 45

and although it is something cleaner than the ad-
joining stalls, it is not free from the stench. As
ground rent in this locality is very high, the econo-
my of space is a great desideratum. Thus the same
building in which the cows are kept is also used as
a stable for the horses employed on the milk routes.
They are, however, more carefully tended, get better
food, and their stables are kept cleaner. ‘The cows
are occasionally fed with hay and grain, but the
latter is always mixed with the slops in their trough,
and the former is most sparingly distributed. When
the swill is first served it is often scalding hot, and
a new cow requires some days before it can drink it
in that condition. It instinctively shrinks from the
trough when the disgusting liquid is poured in, but
in the course of a week or two it becomes accustom-
ed to it, and, finally, drinks it with an evident relish.
The appearance of the animal after a few weeks’
feeding upon this stuff is most disgusting; the
mouth and nostrils are all besmeared, the eyes as-
sume a leaden expression, indicative of that stupid-
ity which is generally the consequence of intemper-
ance. ‘The swill is a strong stimulant, and its effect

upon the constitution and health of the animal, is

46 THe Mitx TRADE.

something similar to alcoholic drinks upon the
human system. Of this swill, each cow drinks
about twenty-five or thirty gallons per day, so that
the total consumption in the stables is about fifty or
sixty thousand gallons. The quantity of milk given
upon this food, varies from five to twenty-five quarts
daily, that is, in every twenty-four hours.

The cows are milked twice, once at three o’clock
in the morning, and once at two or three in the
afternoon.

The operation of milking in these stables is as
peculiar as it is disgusting. At the appointed time,
the man who is specially engaged for this purpose
enters the stable with a pail or can, and, raising the
cow from the filth in which she has been lying, and
with which she is covered, commences the milking
process. About eight or ten minutes are generally
required to milk a cow, but the time is of course
always regulated by the quantity given. An expert
hand at the work will milk a dozen cows in an hour
and a half, and we are told of one man who per-
formed the task in a still shorter time. There is no
article of food which requires more cleanliness in

its manipulation than milk. ~The vessels in which

Toe Miutxine PRocEss. 47

it is contained require constant cleansing; but the
men engaged in the swill milk business scorn all
such nicety, for with them cleanliness appears to be
an exploded idea. Their hands are seldom or never
washed before milking, and indeed if they were
they would soon be soiled by the cow’s udder. In
the process it occasionally happens that a lump of
dirt falls into the liquid, when the hand of the
milker most unceremoniously follows it and brings
it out. The udders of some cows have been known
to be afflicted with ulcers, yet even in that condition
they were milked, and the milk mixed with the
general stock for distribution. These details, dis-
gusting as they are, fall far short of the reality.
The treatment to which the poor animals are
subjected is so severe that they often sink under it.
When they become diseased, as not unfrequently
happens, they are milked up to within one or two
days of their death; and when no longer able to
stand, they are held up until the process is per-
formed. A friend who was an eye-witness to a case
of this kind, informed us that when every means
had been tried to make the cow stand, and when
kicks and blows proved ineffectual for the purpose,

48 Toe Mitx TRADE.

two men sustained while the third milked her.
When their support was removed, she fell to the
ground, where she lay till death put a period to her
suffering. The milk thus obtained must be infected
with the disease of the animal, and, of course, is
most deleterious to health. Its fatal effect upon
children may be seen in the terrible mortality
among the infant population of the city, who subsist
almost exclusively upon milk.

Chapter Sour.

Profit of the Swill Milk business—Great Mortality and Disease among Cows fed
on Swill—The Drivers of Milk Caris, the Stable Keepers and the “Small Deal-
ers”—Process of Adulteration.

Tue quantity of milk furnished daily by the cows
in Johnson’s stables is about twenty-four thousand
quarts, but it is increased to thirty thousand by the
addition of six thousand quarts of water. The
profits accruing from this are very large. Estima-
ting this milk at five cents per quart, the price at
which it is sold, its total value will be found to
amount to $1,500. This may exceed the real re-
ceipts by one or two hundred dollars, for it is im-
possible to arrive at an accurate estimate without
an inspection of the account books. Allowing
twelve quarts of milk as the daily average yield of
each cow for nine months, we find that the receipts
from the sale of the milk of a single animal amount
to about $160 in that period. About $40 more is
made by the water with which it is diluted, and

S

50 Tar Mitx TRADE.

—~e — —

which is generally added in the proportion of one
fourth. |

This increases the amount to about $200, from
which a large profit is obtained after the deduction
of all the expenses. These expenses are compara-
tively trifling upon a milk dealer who has as many
as eighty or a hundred cows, very few having less
than twenty. The loss by the death of cattle is some-
times very heavy, as many as eight or ten dying in
one week. On a recent visit to Johnson’s stables
the writer saw two lying dead outside of the stables,
exposed to the view of the public, and not far from
these were two others which had been turned out
to die. One had fallen over on its side and was in
the last agonies of death, and the other was making
vain attempts to stand up. Such scenes are very
frequent at this establishment, and may be witness-
ed almost daily. The stable-men are hardened by
association with them, and regard them as the
natural concomitants of their business. Of those
that are diseased, more than one half are disposed
of to butchers, who can purchase them in this con-
dition at two or three cents a pound less than they
pay for healthy meat. If they run dry before be-

DISEASED CATTLE. 51

coming diseased, they are fattened (bloated) with a
kind of food termed ship-stuff, which consists of
mill dust and the worst kind of grain, and sold to
such butchers as will buy them.

A large amount of this kind of meat is used by
the poorer classes, who never suspect the reason
they obtain it cheaper than it is sold elsewhere.
The law has made it a misdemeanor to sell diseased
beef, and about a year ago several persons were ar-
rested for its violation, but at present, although the
practice is continued, we seldom hear of any arrests
being made. It is not very difficult to detect this
meat; it has a peculiarly bluish appearance, and
becomes putrid in a much shorter time than good
beef. It also takes more of it to weigh a pound,
and when cooked there is less of it.

The cattle that are fed in Johnson’s stables, and
in fact in all that we have ever visited, are seldom
or never allowed to leave them. They are con-
stantly breathing the fetid atmosphere of their
prisons, their teeth rot out of their jaws, their hoofs
grow to an unnatural length, and turn up something
similar to the point of a skate. These are the marks
by which a slop-fed cow is generally known, and it

59 Tor Mitx Traps.

is impossible to mistake them. Sometimes the hair
falls off, ulcers break out in various parts of the
body, and the hoofs become so sore as to render the
animal quite lame and unable to stand. It is mel-
ancholy to see some of the poor creatures, when
they are so fortunate as to get out of their pens for
an hour or two, attempting to walk.

After all the losses sustained by the swill milk-
men are considered, it will be seen that their profits,
as we have stated, are very large, and such as are
able to keep one or two hundred cows acquire a
fortune in a few years. We have conversed with
some who were once engaged in the business, and
who were very willing to admit, now that they had
‘no further interest in it, that the milk was most un-
healthy. The total daily receipts from the milk of
one hundred cows, including the water mixed with
it, is about seventy dollars, from which we must
deduct thirty dollars for the expenses attending
upon the business. Of this sum, about twenty
dollars are paid for the rent and feeding of the
cattle, for the proprietors have to buy their own
grain and hay; the other ten dollars are required

for the salaries of the hands employed in the stables,

Drivers or MitK Carts. 53

and for incidental expenses. From this it will be
seen that labor in this business is very poorly re-
munerated, and it is next to impossible for the driver
of a milk cart to support a family by his earnings.
The wages they receive never exceed twelve dollars
a month, and are sometimes as low as eight, but the
usual amount is ten. We should add, however,
that they are, as a general thing, boarded by their
employer, which makes their salary equivalent to
five or six dollars a week. The work they have to
perform for this pittance is very laborious; they are
required to be in readiness at three and four o’clock
in the morning, to serve the milk among their cus-
tomers, who are generally distributed over every
part of the city. Thus they have sometimes to go
over a distance of ten miles in serving one route,
which they accomplish generally in three or four
hours. In the afternoon they set out about two
o'clock, and generally commence serving their milk ©
at the most distant part of the route.

The drivers have nothing to do with the care of
the cattle, which belongs to an entirely different
class of men. Their only business is to attend to
the milk routes, and take charge of their horses

54 Tue Mitx TRAvE.

and wagons. One man will serve as much as one
hundred and fifty quarts in a morning, but the
average quantity is about one hundred.

The most unpleasant and laborious part of the
work falls to the share of the stable-keeper, whose
business it is to feed the cows and take charge of
the stables. This is an arduous task, indeed, and
would tax the utmost powers of Hercules himself.
If the cows kept in the Augean stables were fed on
swill, the son of Jove, we suspect, would have had
more difficulty in the accomplishment of one of his
great labors. The stables of Johnson may well be
considered their rivals, but we are not so fortunate
as the ancients in possessing a Hercules to rid us
of the nuisance. ;

From early morning till a late hour in the even-
ing, the stable-man of Johnson is engaged at his
never-ending task. The horrible and poisonous
atmosphere that he is constantly inhaling, and the
disgusting drudgery that he has to perform, render
him truly an object of commiseration. His labor
is also poorly requited, his weekly salary not ex-
ceeding eight dollars. There are very few who can
obtain any other employment which will pay them

StasLteE Men—“‘Smatt Deauers.” 85

even one or two dollars a week less, that will re-
main at this kind of work. They never have any
rest from year’s end to year’s end, for ‘Sunday
shines no Sabbath day to them,” and customers
must be attended to on that day as punctually as
on any other day of the week.

A considerable quantity of the milk manufactured
in these stables has to undergo another process be-
fore it is distributed. There are a large class en-
gaged in the business, called the ‘small dealers,”
who purchase from fifty to two hundred quarts
daily, from the owners of the cows. Some of these
men own wagons, and some retail their milk in the
stores. These stores are curiosities in their way,
and demand a brief notice.
el great many can be seen at any time in the
neighborhood of Johnson’s stables. Some of them
exhibit a sign, which informs the gullible public
that the best pure country milk, from Orange
county or Westchester, or Orange and Westchester,
whichever you please, is sold inside. The business
of the establishment is also indicated by a plaster
of Paris cow, which is displayed in the window,
with one or more geraniums—but what these plants

56 Toe Mitx TRADE.

have to do with dairies or cows we have never been
able to discover. Upon entering, you will see
three or four large cans, which contain the pure
country milk, and which is sold for four cents a
quart in the summer, and five cents in the winter.
Now this stuff, as it comes from the swill stables, is
bad enough, but in this laboratory it undergoes a
transformation which renders it still worse.

‘“‘f would as soon,” said a person speaking to us
about the adulteration of milk, ‘think of giving
poison to my family. It is not fit for swine.”

We agreed with him, and so will our readers,
when they hear the tale that was told to us. To
every quart of milk about a pint of water is added,
and then a due allowance of chalk, or plaster of
Paris, which takes away the bluish appearance
given to it by the water. Magnesia generally
forms a component part, and flour, starch, and oc-
casionally an egg, is mixed up with it to give it con-
sistence. After all these ingredients are employed
a certain quantity of molasses is added, to produce
that rich yellow color which good milk generally
possesses.

Several thousand quarts of this kind of milk are

ADULTERATION oF MILK. 57

sold daily throughout the city, in utter disregard of
all law. It is, however, a most difficult matter to
detect the manufacturers in the act of making it,
for only the initiated are allowed to be present
when the mysterious work is going on. But there
is no difficulty in detecting the quality of the milk
itself. By allowing it to lie over until it is decom-
posed, the chalk, magnesia, molasses, and all can
be discovered. If any eggs have been used in its
manutacture, a yellowish slime will be found float-
ing upon the top; but it is very seldom that a
milkman is found guilty of this extravagance. The
liquid is all water, of a bluish white appearance,
and in the solid mass which lies at the bottom the

chalk and magnesia may be easily perceived.
3*

Chapivr Fito.

Cow Stables of London—The City Inspector and the Swill Nuisance—Diary of a
Cow Stable—The Fortieth Street Establishment.

Ir is impossible to state accurately to what ex-
tent the adulteration of milk is carried on in this
city, but there is every reason to apprehend that
the practice is very prevalent among a large pro-
portion of the small milk dealers. By the aid of
the ‘cow with the iron tail,” two quarts can be
increased to three, and the profits nearly doubled,
after deducting the price of chalk, magnesia, and
other compounds. Fortunes have been made and
still continue to be made at the business. Out of
every hundred who sell milk there are, perhaps,
very few who do not dilute it with water, while
about one half adulterate it with the ingredients we
have named. We should state, however, that the

practice is not confined exclusively to our milkmen,

Lonpon SrasuiEes anp Miux. 59
but is common in all large cities in this country
and in Europe. London has become notorious for
it, and, in proportion to its extent, is supplied with
more adulterated and swill milk than New York.
Immense subterranean stables are to be found there,
containing thousands of cows, fed almost entirely
upon swill slops, and decayed vegetable matter,
gathered in the large markets and streets of that
city. From the time they enter these stables till
they leave them, they never see the light of day.
They are dimly lighted with gas, and there is little
or no ventilation, so that the mortality among the
cattle is much greater than in any of our establish-
ments. The injurious effect of this milk upon the
health of the community was conclusively shown
by a Mr. Ruggs, and several eminent physicians of
that city, and we understand that a considerable
reform was accomplished by their instrumentality.
We have no doubt that the physicians of New
York could render most effective service toward
the suppression of the traffic here, if they would
co-operate for that purpose. The public only re-
quire to be fully informed of the evils resulting
from the use of the impure milk, to discountenance

60 Tue Mitx TRApe.

the sale of it. Who would believe, if not informed
of the fact, that two thirds of the milk consumed in
the city is the produce of these stables, and that of
the twelve or thirteen thousand cows fed on swill,
over two thousand die annually from diseases pro-
duced by their peculiar diet and cruel treatment ?
There is no nuisance with which we are afilicted
that is more injurious, and there is none which is
tolerated with more coolness. The authorities of
the city are perfectly aware of its existence, and
should adopt the most effective means for its speedy
removal.

The City Inspector has been frequently informed
by his Wardens of dead cattle which have. been
found lying outside of the stables in Sixteenth and
Fortieth streets, and while he has given orders for
their removal, the real nuisance itself has been
passed over with singular forgetfulness. Hundreds
of children die annually of diseases which physi-
cians say are caused by swill milk, yet in his last
yearly report, the City Inspector, speaking of the
various causes of mortality among them, never
once alludes to the most prominent. The very at-
mosphere around them is detrimental to health, and

Diary oF A Cow STABLE. 61

most offensive to those living in their vicinity. <A
gentleman, who lived within a stone’s throw of the
Sixteenth Street stables, says that they were a
source of perpetual annoyance to him, and that he
was finally forced to leave the immediate neighbor-
hood on account of them. So offensive was the
odor that it sometimes produced nausea, and the
inmates were often awakened at night by it. The
following extracts from the diary of the gentleman
referred to, will give some idea of the character of
this nuisance:

‘« The cow stables were horrible to-day—the odor penetrated the
house, and became diffused through all the rooms, although the
windows and doors were closely shut.”

** The stables on hand again to-day, with a slight intermission.”

** Wind northerly, and stables both odorous and odious.”

«The stables give indications of a change of wind, from north-
east to north.”

«© An occasional puff to-day from the great perfumery.”

* The old nuisance insufferably bad for several hours this even-
ing, especially at tea-time, when the odor was most impartially
diffused through every part of the house, in spite of closed doors
and windows.”

«*Moved out of the neighborhood, and finally got rid of the nui-
sance. My family physician advised me to leave the place on
account of it.”

62 Tue Mitx TRADE.

We might fill a dozen pages with extracts like
the foregoing, but these will suffice. It would be
unfair, however, to give our readers the impression
that these stables are the only nuisance of the kind
in New York, for there is another in Fortieth Street,
which may justly be considered their rival. It
does not contain more than one hundred cows; but
these are kept in a worse condition than the animals
in Johnson’s stables. The building is constructed
of wood, and is immediately contiguous to the dis-
tillery, from which the swill is obtained through
iron and wooden conduits. The average weekly
quantity of milk and water supplied by this estab-
lishment is about ten thousand quarts. The stable
is surrounded with manure, which in some places
is knee-deep, and the smell arising from this, com-
bined with the swill, is sickening. It is, however,
so far removed up-town that it has hitherto attract-
ed little attention, but the poor people living in the -
vicinity are constantly complaining of the insuffer-
able smell that proceeds fromit. The cows present
the same appearance that we have observed in
those kept in the concern in Sixteenth Street, and
the disease and mortality among them is as great

ConsUMPTION AMONG Cows. 63

in proportion to their number. It is easy to distin-
guish those that have been long in the stables from
the new-comers. ‘The latter have generally a fresh
and healthy look, while the former are wretched,
emaciated, dejected, spiritless-looking creatures.
Some of them are so thin that the bones appear as
if ready to protrude through the skin. This is gen-
erally the case with such as die of consumption,
a disease quite prevalent among cattle fed on
grain and swill. When attacked with consumption,
they decline very rapidly, and some die after a con-
finement of three or four months. These animals
it is impossible to fatten, and they are therefore
milked as long as they will yield a quart. It mat-
ters not what the quality ot the liquid may be, the
milkman can not afford to lose any of his profits,
and it is consequently sold with the rest of the
milk.

The economy with which the business of these
establishments is conducted, is one of their most
remarkable features. Not more than one half the
hands necessary for the management of the business
is employed. One stable-man is made to do the
work of two; the horses engaged on the milk routes

64. Toe Miutkx TRADE.

are generally emaciated and broken-down hacks,
which have become useless for any other purpose,
and as we have already stated, the cows are so
closely packed together that they have not sufficient
room to stretch themselves without partly lying on
each other. The milk cans, which contain from ten
to fifteen gallons, are never thoroughly clean, for
scouring is a thing almost entirely unknown to swill
milkmen.

How different from the scrupulous cleanliness and
neatness with which every thing in and about the
country dairies is managed. The cans, and all the
vessels in which the milk is kept, are scalded and
scoured daily, and the dairy itself is generally situ-
ated on the coolest part of the farm. One of the pe-
culiar characteristics of swill milk is, that it is next
to impossible to make butter or cheese from it, which
is perhaps the strongest evidence that could be pro-
duced to prove its deficiency in the nutritious prop-
erties possessed by the pure article.

Chapter Sir.

The Swill Milk Business in Williamsburg, Wallabout, and Brooklyn—Milk Trans-
ported from those Places to New York—The Milk Carrier—Manufacture of
Buttermilk—The Jersey City Milk Business.

TnosE who are in the habit of crossing the Grand
Street ferry at Williamsburgh, must have perceived
at times, when the wind was from a certain quarter,
a most unpleasant odor. This proceeds from some
large cow stables situated on First Street, from
which they extend several hundred feet, to the very
margin of the river. On the opposite side is the
extensive distillery of Crane, Coggswell & Co., to
which they are a most profitable adjunct. These
stables are capable of containing five hundred
cows, but are made to hold fifteen or sixteen hun-
dred. They are conducted on the same rigid prin-
ciples of economy, and with the same heartlessness
that we have noticed in establishments of the kind
in this city. There are four buildings altogether,

66 Toe MiutxK TRADE.

all of which are constructed of brick, and on the
outside are a number of tanks in which the slop is
received from the distillery, and from which it is
distributed into the troughs for the use of the cattle.

At the extreme end, near the river, are large ma-
nure heaps, which are a source of considerable profit
to the proprieters, and of great annoyance to the res-
idents in its vicinity. In these stables from fifteen
to twenty cows die every week, from diseases inci-
dent to their diet and peculiar treatment. These
are disposed of at about three dollars a head, to a
certain class of men, who skin them, and convert
their fat and bones to some useful purpose. The
fat obtained from them is of a very inferior quality,
and is very limited in quantity. Their skin is the
most valuable part, and it is principally for it that
the bodies are bought.

These stables are rented to the owners of the
cows, of whom there are from twenty to thirty, and
they are supplied with swill upon terms somewhat
similar to those who rent stalls in Johnson’s stables.
The weekly quantity of milk obtained from the
cows kept here is one hundred and thirty thousand
quarts. These stables do not consume more than

WiILLIAMSBURGH Cow STABLES. 67%

one half the swill manufactured in the distillery,
which supplies about twenty smaller establishments
in different parts of the city, Bushwick, and other
places in the vicinity. Williamsburg abounds with
small milk dealers, many of whom pursue the same
system of adulteration that prevails among that
class in this city. The mortality among the cattle
fed in stables, in each of which from fifty to one
hundred cows are kept, is not so great as in those
adjoining the distilleries, and their milk is generally
of a superior quality. The reason of this is, that
they receive less swill and more solid diet, the swill
being used mainly as a stimulant. They are not so
closely packed together, and if the owner possesses
any vacant lots, they are frequently allowed to
enjoy any herbage which may offer. Still the milk
obtained from such cows is injurious in proportion
to the quantity of swill consumed by them.

The stables to which we have referred enjoy a
most extensive patronage, both in Williamsburgh
and this city, where they have competed for a long
time most successfully with the pure country milk.
Williamsburgh is, in fact, their great stronghold,
and although a village in comparison to New

68 ’ Tur Mitx TRADE.

York, it produces a much larger quantity. We
have been informed by some of the men at present
engaged in the business, that there can not be less
than four thousand cows in the city proper, and
about two thousand in its suburbs, making a total
of six thousand, which yield near seventy-two thou-
sand quarts daily. Within the past two or three
years, several pure country milk dairies have been
established there with considerable success, but
still we think the supply does not keep pace with
the rapid increase of the population.

Wallabout, which lies to the south of ,Williams-
burgh, and which may be considered part of its en-
virons, has another swill manufactory, though of
less extensive dimensions than that just noticed.
The distillery is owned by Towers & Co., and the
ground by a Mr. Scores. The appearance of this
establishment at a distance is very picturesque, but,
like many other things in this world, it loses its
charms on a closer inspection. In front of it is an
old house, constructed, doubtless, some hundred
years ago. It is built in style somewhat similar to
the few old Dutch buildings which are still to be
found about New York. The distillery and stables

Brooktyn MI.vx. 69

are approached by a short path leading from the
main road. In the latter, which are in a most
ruinous condition, between three and four hundred
cows are confined.

The number of cows in Brooklyn is estimated at
two thousand, of which about one thousand or more
are kept in the stables attached to the distilleries of
Woods, Underhill & Wilson, in Skillman Street.
But a very small proportion of the milk of these
cows is sent to New York, the supply being scarcely
sufficient for home consumption. About three
thousand quarts of country milk is transported over
the Jamaica and Long Island Railroad daily, and
this, with four thousand quarts obtained from
Orange county and other sources, is the only pure
milk received in Brooklyn.

About five thousand quarts of the Brooklyn swill
milk is sent to this city daily by the ferry-boats. A
portion of this is distributed on routes to regular
customers, and the remainder to the small dealers.
These dealers generally make from a cent to two
cents a quart, according to the extent to which
they adulterate their milk. Their customers pur-

chase it in the stores, while others receive it from

70 Tare Miutx TRADE.

the carriers at their doors. ‘The carrier must not be
confounded with the driver, from whom he differs
in many respects. He is a much older institution,
and is of course entitled to a brief consideration.
About thirty or forty years ago, when Canal Street
was regarded as the highest limits of the upper part
of the city, the principal part of the milk business
was transacted by carriers, so that drivers may be
considered a modern improvement. They always
carried two cans, suspended by ropes from a yoke,
which was made to fit the shoulders. These yokes
are still extensively used in certain sections of New
York, and are common in the country, where there
are very few farms without one or more of them.
The carriers are to be found principally on the east
side of the city, and commonly in the poorest locali-
ties, where as many as eight and ten families reside
in one house. The milk they furnish is generally
of the worst description, and is sold at four and five
cents a quart. There are hundreds of men, we have
been informed, who earn a subsistence at this em-
ployment, and some of the most extensive milk
establishments in New York were commenced in

this way. We know of a large one in the Eighth

THe CarriER—BUTTERMILKE. 71

Avenue, near Seventeenth Street, whose owner in-
formed us, that his first beginning was in a similar
way, and that his sales were limited to thirty quarts
daily. That was about five or six years ago, but so
rapidly has his business increased, that he now em-
ploys five carts, and sells ten thousand five hundred
quarts every week. He, however, is only one of a
large class, who commenced in the trade with means
as limited. His milk, however, is sent pure from
Westchester county, by the Harlem Railroad, and he
says that in the large number of families which he
supplies, not a single death has occurred among
the children.

During the summer, the supply of milk from the
country reaches its maximum, as may be seen by re-
ference to the tables published in the first and second
chapters, showing the quantity transported over the
Erie, Harlem, and other railroads. It occasionally
happens that four or five thousand quarts, and some-
times a larger quantity, remain unsold for two or
three days, when it becomes so sour that it can not
be disposed of as new milk. It is then churned,
and sold in the form of buttermilk, for which there

is generally a great demand in the warm weather.

72 Toe Mitx TRADE.

The profits from its sale are about equal to those
arising from the sale of new milk. In winter, on
account of the decreased supply, there is no surplus,
and consequently no buttermilk is made; for this
branch of the business is so fluctuating, that, as a
general thing, very few milkmen like to devote
their time and capital to it.*

* About twenty years ago there was an old colored man, who
made a pretty comfortable living in this city by the sale of but-
termilk. His name has not descended to us, but he was univer-
sally known as ‘‘ the buttermilk man.” His stock in trade con-
sisted of a hand-cart, and the barrel containing the milk. He was
one of the most popular characters of his day, and was as well
known as the ‘“‘lime-kiln man,” and other strange notabilities of
the present time. When going his rounds his ery of “‘ but-ter-mil-
lik” was the only notification he gave his customers of his presence,
and it never failed to draw them out of doors. On one occasion, the
chronicle says, he got so far a-head of his times as to use a bell, but
finding that his patrons would not recognize the signal, he was com-
pelled to relapse into the old style, which, after all, he found to be
more suited to him. Cotemporary with this character was the
“‘salt man,” another popular individual. He was a degree above
the other, however, for he could afford the services of a horse. His
cry was ‘‘ fresh salt, and if you don’t find it fresh you can have it
for nothing.” It is almost needless to state he never lost any thing

by this magnanimity.

JERSEY Miukx. 73

The milk trade in Jersey is very extensive, but
with the exception of about a thousand quarts of
the pure country article, the supply is furnished by
swill stables, of which there are a large number in
that city. The slop-fed cows kept in and about
Jersey, exceed one thousand, and yet strange to
say, there is no distillery on that side of the river.
A considerable supply of grain is obtained from a
brewery in Grove Street, and on this and the swill
procured from New York, the cattle are fed. The
swill is generally brought over the Hoboken ferry
to Bergen, and thence conveyed to the various
stables in Jersey. A small quantity is transported
over the city ferry, but the milkmen are go much
afraid of detection that they prefer having it brought
by the Hoboken boats. They are obliged to be
more vigilant and wary, for in so small a city their
iniquities are more liable to be discovered and
exposed. The same system of deception that we
have noticed in New York also prevails there.
False signs are painted on the carts, such as “ dry
feed milk,” “ grass feed milk,” and occasionally you
will see “Orange county milk,” inscribed upon
them in conspicuous letters. Of the Orange county

+

74 THe Miutx TRADE.

milk it is only very recently that any was sold in
Jersey, and at present the quantity does not exceed
four or five hundred quarts, the greater part of
which is supplied by the Orange county milk
association, on the corner of Jay and Washington
streets, in New York.

Besides the distilleries which we have named,
there are some others to which there are no cow
stables attached, but which nevertheless sell swill
for the use of cattle. There are also a considerable
number of breweries and other establishments from
which an abundant supply of grain is procured.
Like swill, grain is also destitute of many nutritious
properties, and is therefore regarded as very little
better. Cattle fed upon it are generally healthier
and in finer condition, but the milk has a bitter
taste, and is considered unhealthy, particularly for
children.

Chapter Srura.

The Milk and Dairies of Orange County—The Quality of Milk Affected by the
Diet of Cattle—Bovine Instinct and Antipathies—Process of Cooling Milk.
Tue butter and milk of Orange county have long

and justly been celebrated as the best in the State

of New York, although of late years, Westchester
has been considered its rival in the production of
these essential elements of food. Of the pure milk
consumed in the city, a little more than one third is
received from the former county; and such is its
great abundance, that if the facilities of railroad
transportation were increased, it could supply us
with all we should require during both summer and
winter. The most distant milk depot is Otisville,
about eighty miles from Jersey City, whence the
article is conveyed by railroad and boats to New

York. There are a large number of depots along the

road from this station, to which the cans are-brought

76 Tun- Mitx: Trespass:

every morning and evening about one half the year,
and once a day during the other six months.

The dairymen and dealers do not generally live
farther than three or four miles from either side
of the road, and their number is about three
hundred. This, however, is a very small propor-
tion of the dairymen in the county, whose distance
from the road excludes them from any participation
in the benefits of the trade, and who are conse-
quently compelled to convert their milk into butter,
which is its least profitable form. Irom eight to
ten quarts of milk, it is said by those acquainted
with the business, will make a pound of butter;
but where it is particularly rich in cream, seven
quarts have been found sufficient. The price paid
to the farmers by the city milk dealers is eight
cents a gallon, the latter having to pay the freight,
whichis two cents. Of such importance has the
milk trade now become, that special trains have
been employed in transporting the milk from the
various stations. Should the Erie Railroad Com-
pany run one or two branch roads, as it is said
they contemplate doing, as far as fifty or sixty
miles in a direct line from the present track, the

BurterR AND Mi.Lx. V7

supply of milk now received might be quad-
rupled.

The dairymen look to the ultimate consummation
of this work with great interest and not a little
anxiety, for it would increase their profits consid-
erably. The manufacture of butter requires a large
expenditure of time and labor, and is attended with
occasional loss, which renders it any thing but a re-
munerative occupation to dairymen, when com-
pared with the production of milk. They will,
therefore, welcome the increase of railroads, as one
of the most effectual means of relieving them from
an unpleasant, because compulsory and compara-
tively unprofitable employment. We do not mean
to say that any kind of farming would be more
profitable, for doubtless it is much more lucrative
than the raising of crops, but the manufacture of
butter is so much less profitable than the sale of
milk, that they would gladly embrace the first
favorable opportunity of abandoning it. The rais-
ing of cattle, and the production of milk and butter,
are the principal occupations of the land proprietors
of Orange county; the word “ farmer,” therefore,
strictly speaking, can not be applied to them, for

78 Tue Mitx TRADE.

their land, with the exception of a very small tract
on each farm for the cultivation of kitchen vegeta-
bles, is laid out in pasturage.

And for this it is peculiarly adapted, both low-
lands and uplands affording a plentiful supply of
grass, except in the winter season, when the cattle
are fed upon hay and various kinds of dry feed.
Considerable experience is requisite in the use of
fodder, as it affects the quality of the milk. A few
onions, eaten by a cow, will so injure it as to ren-
der it unfit for use, and we were told of a case in
which the yield of a large number of cows was
totally lost from their having eaten of this vegeta-
ble. Turnips will also injuriously affect it, im-
parting a strong and unpleasant flavor. To coun-
teract the effects of such food, where it has been
used, various drugs are employed in making the
butter. Where it is not well preserved, through
the carelessness of those engaged in making it, or
from other causes, it very soon becomes tainted.

A good judge of milk can tell from its taste, not
only upon what kind of vegetable the cow from
which it was obtained has been fed, but even the
particular kind of grass. Such nice distinctions,

Pasture LAnp. 49

however, can only be made by very keen observers,
and by those who have made it their particular
study.

The thick growth of grass found in the lowlands
makes the richest kind of milk, while the milk
yielded by cattle fed on rising ground is thin and
contains less cream. The lowlands are therefore
more valuable for pasturage, and generally com-
mand a higher price in the market. It must not,
however, be very marshy, for such land is as un-
favorable for the grazing of cattle as it is for the
general purposes of farming. It has been noticed
that after a shower, when the grass is moist, and is
eaten in that state, the yield of milk is most abun-
dant, while, on the contrary, when the weather is
particularly dry there is a very perceptible decrease
in the quantity.

In May and June the supply is greater than in
any other month, but after that it diminishes till
December or January, when it reaches its mnc-
mum. The great difference in this respect pro-
duced by the change of season is very remarkable.
The same cow which in summer would give twenty
quarts, in winter will not yield more than ten or

80 Tur Miutx TRADE.

twelve. This is owing to the change of food, and
the difference in the temperature of the atmosphere.
In fact, so far do the variations of temperature affect
the quantity of milk, that the regular yield is often
reduced two or three quarts by it. Those having
charge of cattle, knowing these facts, are very cau-
tious in their treatment of them, and when there
are indications of a storm, always drive them under
cover. Although a shower of rain produces an in-
crease of milk when the grass is eaten immediately
after, yet it will not do to leave the cattle under it,
for exposure to it causes their udders to shrink, and
a decrease in the supply instantly follows. A cow
may be very easily “‘ dried up” by exposing her to
the inclemency of the weather, or by milking her
at irregular intervals, and then by drawing from
her only a portion of the natural yield. When
such a course of treatment is pursued, the teats
usually dry up one after another, but it very seldom
happens that they all dry up simultaneously.

There is, perhaps, nothing more interesting about
a farm than the milking of cattle in the early dawn,
or when the shades of evening are closing over the
landscape. The animals know the time well, and

Country Cows. 81

go to the yard to be relieved of their burden with
the utmost good grace imaginable. So different are
they in appearance from the cattle fed in the swill
stables that they look as if they belonged to a dif-
ferent species. There is a look of contentment and
repose in their eyes different from the stupid
drunken stare of the miserable creatures confined
in the cow-pens of this city and Williamsburgh.
We have seen them stand in the farm-yard,
apparently most grateful to the milker, and desirous
to aid him in the performance of his task, so far as
their limited knowledge and means permit. We
have observed them when they have seen the
milker approach with pail in hand, put themselves
in the best attitude to facilitate the operation, re-
moving one of their legs out of the way, and stand-
ing as immovable as a rock until they are allowed
to go at liberty. At such times they are invariably
gentle and easily managed, but should they be
alarmed by the appearance of any thing very un-
usual, it requires all the exertions of the keepers to
pacify them. While grazing in the field, they will
not allow you to approach them unless you and
they have been previously acquainted, but in the
4%

82 Toe Mitx TRADE.

milking-yard they will tolerate even the familiarity
of strangers.

In a recent visit to some of the best grazing dis-
tricts in Orange county, we saw several fine speci-
mens of milch cows, handsome-looking animals,
which it is a pleasure to look at. Those who have
only seen city-fed cattle, can have but a very faint
idea of the beauty of real genuine country cows,
for they are really beautiful creatures, and possess
a sprightly and intelligent look, no matter what
may be said to the contrary. They are also very
sensitive, and susceptible of impressions to a nice
degree. Present a pail of swill to one of them, and
she will turn from it with unmistakable disgust, for
it is only when every instinct of the animal is
blunted, and her taste has become depraved, that
she will drink such poisonous stuff.

Should they see any blood on the ground, which
had been spilled there by accident or otherwise, they
become perfectly frantic and uncontrollable. It is
the same whether it has been observed by one or
all; the first that sees it gives a peculiar signal,
which is known by the others, when they run here
and there and everywhere, terribly infuriated,

INsTINCTS oF CATTLE. 83

dashing and butting at every thing that may chance
to impede their progress, and even leaping over
fences four and five feet high. A scene of this kind
occurred once on one of the most extensive dairies
near Goshen. The owner had during the day
killed one of his cattle in the milking-yard, and in
the evening, when the herd returned to be milked,
they perceived the blood. At first they went up to
it with distended nostrils and glaring eyes, and
sniffed at it; then they tossed up their heads, and,
bellowing furiously, rushed round the yard, finally
bursting over the enclosures into the fields, where
they gave full vent to their madness.

It is said that it is only in cases where the blood
has been shed by violence that cattle become so
frantic at the sight of it; but, whatever credit we
may give them for sagacity, they certainly do not
possess any such supernatural powers of ee
as this would indicate.

Their inhospitality to strange cows is one of the
least prepossessing traits in their character. When
one is introduced to the herd they generally present
a hostile front, and should she resent this unfriendly
reception, they attack her with ferocity, and force

84 Tue Mitx TRADE.

her to seek safety in flight. After the first day,
however, they receive her into the community as
one of its members, and entitled to the full range
of the pasturage.

A great difference of opinion exists among dairy-
men as to which of all the various breeds of cattle
furnish the best milch cows. One will tell you
that the Durhams are the greatest milkers, another
that the Holland cows are superior, but as this is a
matter which does not possess any interest for the
general reader, we will merely remark, that in
nearly every inquiry we made, we invariably found
the Durham to be the best. When a cow’s udder
becomes so much distended as to pain the animal,
she will present herself to be milked, and will not
go away until relieved.

Before the milk is sent to the railroad depot it
has to undergo a cooling process. In the warm
weather this is indispensably necessary, as it makes
it keep longer. The cans containing the milk are
placed in large reservoirs of cold spring water for
half an hour or more, and are then placed upon
the cars to be transported to New York. This is a
very important matter in the proper management

Dairy Management. 85
Se ee ae
of a dairy, and the owners bestow a great deal of

attention upon it. The dairymen must furnish
their own cans, the wear and tear of which some-
what diminishes their profits. To prevent confu-
sion, each has the name of its owner engraved
upon it, so that it very seldom happens any are
lost. The whole business is conducted with a
punctuality and dispatch highly commendable, and
when the supply of milk fails to arrive at its desti-
nation, it is generally owing to some accident or
delay upon the road, and seldom to neglect on ie
part of the dairymen.

Chapter Gtght.

Profits of Country Dairymen—Great Increase in the Supply of Milk by the Erie
Railroad—The Stabling and Food of Cattlke—A Word of Advice to Dairymen.
Or the two hundred farmers or dairymen who
live along the line of the Erie Railroad, and
who transport their milk to this city, but very
few possess more than one hundred cows each,
and a large proportion do not own more than
twenty or thirty. The receipts obtained from the
sale of milk, and the raising of cattle, form their
only revenue—tor their land is almost entirely used
for pasturage. Farming is more troublesome, and
less profitable, than the production of milk; and it
is, besides, attended with more risk. It is only,
therefore, when the facility for its transportation or
its manufacture into butter are wanting, that we find
the land-owners devoting their attention to agricul-
ture. Good grazing land can not be had now for less
than from seventy to eighty dollars an acre, and in lo-
calities where it is particularly fertile, it will bring

DAIRYMEN’S PROFITS. 87

as much as ninety dollars. A farm of one or two
hundred acres of such land, capable of. supporting
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty cows,
will realize to its proprietor about three thousand
dollars in a year, clear of all expenses; and this
amount is made up by the profits arising from the
sale of milk alone.

Every year the stock is generally increased by
an addition. of one calf to every cow, so that every
three years, which may be regarded as the length
of a bovine generation, the capital is doubled. It
is very seldom, however, that dairymen keep more
than one fifth of the calves to increase their stock,
except where the breed is very valuable. They
generally feed them for two or three weeks, at the
end of which time they are disposed of for two,
three, and four dollars per head.

For one or two days after calving, the milk of a
cow is not fit to be sent to market, although it is
not injurious to health. On the contrary, it is con-
sidered by some to be very nutritive, and when
prepared for use by boiling, is pleasant to the
taste. The first or second yield, we understand,
however, is seldom or never used. It is always

88 Tue Mitx TRADB.

thicker than the milk sold in the city, and is ofa
rich yellow color, resembling cream.

It is not more than ten years since the Erie Rail-
road was opened through Orange county, and at
that time nearly all the milk was converted into
butter, and in that form found its way to the New
York market. In 1842, the first year after it was
opened, 388,505 quarts were transported over it
to this city, but the following twelve months, the
quantity was increased to 3,181,505 quarts; and so
profitable did the farmers find the business, that
those who lived sufficiently near the road to bene-
fit by the facilities it offered, abandoned the manu-
facture of butter, and engaged solely in the milk
trade and the raising of cattle. The large number
who abandoned the former occupation, caused, at
the time, a considerable diminution in the amount
of butter, and a consequent increase in the price.
The first year, on account of the inconsiderable
quantity sent over the road, but one train was run
for milk, and that was the passenger or evening
train. While this arrangement continued, the
farmers did not wholly abandon the manufacture
of butter. They churned the morning’s ‘ mess,”

OPpposiITION oF Switt MitK Deaters. 89

and sent the evening’s to the railroad station, for
transportation to New York. In 1848, the com-
pany commenced running two trains, one in the
morning and the other in the evening, thus enabling
the farmers to devote their whole atttention to the
one business. At this time great alarm prevailed
among the swill milkmen in the city, who had rea-
sonable fears that the introduction of the pure
country article would diminish their profits. They
endeavored to prejudice their customers against it
by false reports; but, despite their opposition, the
sale rapidly increased, and the third year 5,095,762
quarts were received over the road from Goshen
and other stations. Before the opening of the Erie
and Harlem railroads, swill milk was the only kind
used by our people, except a few thousand quarts
of pure milk supplied by farmers living near the city ;
and those who wanted it were glad to purchase it
for six, eight, and even ten cents a quart, for which
they always obtained it as it came from the cow.
Of the 12,610,556 quarts sent over the Erie road
last year, a large quantity came by the Newburgh
branch. <A considerable supply, however, is still
received by boats from Newburgh, as stated in a

90 Tue MitKx TRADE.

previous chapter, although the fare, we believe, by
either mode of conveyance, is the same.

The stabling of cows, during the winter season, is
a matter of great concern to the country dairymen.
They are attended to with the most assiduous care,
their stables kept scruplously clean, and a profusion
of straw strewed on the ground-floor for their bed-
ding. As the yield of milk in winter is nearly one
half less than during the summer season, the supply
for city consumption is insufficient. To increase
the quantity, artificial means have been resorted to,
and it is a matter of regret that some dairymen
near Newburgh feed their cattle partially on grain
obtained from some breweries or distilleries in that
city. This is a most pernicious practice, and if per-
severed in, will inevitably prejudice our people
against country milk. As a matter of principle as
well as interest, therefore, the other farmers should
discountenance the practice, and do all in their
power to abolish it. Grain is cheaper than any
other kind of food which can be procured during
the winter, but it is most injurious in its effects
upon the quality of the milk, and no consideration
should induce the farmer to use it. If the profits

Frepine or Carrie. 91

a

are not sufficient to repay him for his time and
trouble, there are very few who would not be
willing to pay a cent per quart more for the milk,
to procure it pure and unadulterated.

Hay is the general food of cattle during the winter,
but some farmers feed their cows on ground meal,
corn, oats, and buckwheat. These are sometimes
ground together and given to the cattle in a dry state,
but it is considered by some that the yield of milk is
always increased by scalding this kind of feed.

An intelligent farmer, with whom we are ac-
quainted, and who has a large experience in the
treatment of cattle, says that a great improvement
would be effected by steaming the hay and other
fodder. This would in a measure, he thinks, bring
back the hay to its original condition, and increase
the quantity without injuring the quality of the
milk. If this should prove successful, there is no
reason why we should not have as large a supply in
winter as in summer. The swili milkmen manufac-
ture about the same quantity the whole year round,
and in the former season, when there is a decrease
of one half in the supply from the country, they
do not, of course, meet with the same competition

92 Tore Miutx TRADE.

in the sale of their milk. Let the farmers through-
out Orange, Westchester, and other counties through
which the Erie, Harlem, and Hudson River rail-
roads run, establish associations throughout this
city for the sale of the pure country milk, and the
swill milk dairies will rapidly disappear. There are
three or four associations in New York already, and
their business is in a most flourishing condition.
They can sell all they get from the country, for their
custom is only limited by the quantity of milk which
they are able to furnish. The farmers should not
intrust the sale of their milk to small dealers, with-
out first making an agreement that they shall sell it
pure, for it too frequently happens that they so
weaken it with water, or adulterate it with drugs,
that hardly in one case out of ten do they give
it to their customers as they obtain it themselves.
Where the farmers can not establish associations
they would find it more profitable to have it sold
by agents in the city on commission. They now
obtain but two cents per quart in summer, and three
in winter, the purchaser paying a half cent for trans-
portation ; but by paying one cent commission their
profits might be increased about twenty per cent.

Chapter Hine.

Estimate of Capital Invested in the Milk Business—Yearly Receipts from the
Sale of all kinds of Milk.

Turret are very few departments of industry in this
city whose capital is larger than that invested in the
milk business. The number of farmers engaged
in it is about 500, as stated in a previous chapter,
and the number of cows possessed by these may be
estimated at a little more than 10,000. Calculating
the value of every animal at twenty-five dollars, and
allowing three acres of grazing land to each, we
have a total of $250,000 and 30,000 acres of land.
To these must be added the cost of the cans used for
the transportation of the milk, and the value of
horses, carts, etc., employed in its distribution
throughout the city.

From persons who have been engaged in the trade

for many years, we learn that the number of horses

94 THe Mitx«x TrRrapes.

employed on the various routes throughout the city
is 450. Some of these are valuable animals, worth
from $150 to $200, the average value of each,
however, may be set down at $100. This gives
the total value of horses alone at $45,000, which
may be regarded as a moderate estimate. The
work which these animals have to perform is not
of a very laborious nature.

Each horse has to go over a distance of about
ten miles a day in serving the routes, so that
the actual distance traveled by the whole number
owned by those who sell pure country milk only,
may be stated at 4,500 miles, which is about thrice
the length of the passage from this port to New Or-
leans. Of the milk wagons there are 375, each of
which, including the harness, is worth $100. This
may be considered the average value of each ve-
hicle, but there are many worth twenty and thirty
dollars more, the difference being caused by the
size and quality. The disproportion between the
number of horses and wagons is accounted for by
the fact, that two horses are required to draw the
large wagons. ‘The cost of the cans, of which there

are about ten thousand altogether owned by the

CAPITAL INVESTED. 95

dairymen in the country and the milk dealers in the
city, is estimated at $30,000, or three dollars for each
can. The loss caused by the wear of these is very
considerable, making a reduction of about five per
cent. per annum on the profits obtained from the
sale of the milk.

There are at present 250 companies and single
dealers receiving milk from the country, some of
which sell over 6,000 quarts daily, and others not
more than two or three hundred. A large number
of the restaurants, hotels, and boarding-houses, are
supplied by these associations, but a considerable
proportion make their contracts with farmers, and
procure it direct from the country. In this way
they obtain their milk for three and four cents a
quart, both summer and winter, which is about
twenty per cent. less than they could purchase it
from the milk dealers in the city.

The amount paid for pure country milk in New
York in 1851, was a little over $1,800,000, of which
about one fourth was paid for the water with which
the article was diluted. The number of quarts
(including, of course, the water, of which the milk

dealers, as we have intimated, always give a most

96 Ture Mitx TRADE.

liberal supply), consumed during the same period,
was about 36,000,000. The aggregate amount
paid for the transportation of this quantity, over
the railroads, or by boats, was about $145,000.
These details relate only to the sale of what is
called pure country milk, which forms about one
third the quantity consumed, the other two thirds
being the produce of the swill and grain stables in
New York and the adjoining cities, to which allu-
sion has been made. The number of swill-fed
cows is about 13,000, but their value is, as a
general thing, considerably less than those from the
country. In the market they will sell for more than
one fourth less, but when fattened for sale, after
they have become dry, and are so fortunate as to
escape the diseases incident to their peculiar treat-
ment, it is said that they will bring nearly as high
a price as some of the best grass-fed cattle. 3
The fact of their being fed on grain and slops is,
however, sufficient to depreciate them in the market.
Allowing, therefore, about fifteen dollars as the
value of each animal, we have a total of $195,000,
or $55,000 less than the worth of the total number
of country cattle. Yet with this slight decrease in

Prorits or Switt MILK. 97

the amount of capital invested, there is an im-
mensely disproportionate augmentation in the pro-
fits realized, the profit on the swill milk being about
two thirds greater than that realized on the sale of
the pure country article.

It should be remembered, however, in this caleu-
lation, that it is adulterated in a proportion of more
than one fourth, and also that the expenses of swill
milkmen are much less than that of farmers. It is
true, a large number of their cattle die, but they
have not to pay for the transportation of their milk,
and the saving in this respect alone would more
than make up for the labor, time, and money ex-
pended in sending it over the railroads, to say noth-
ing of the wear and tear of cans, ete. The number
of quarts daily produced by these establishments,
assisted by the small milk dealers, in whose hands
it undergoes a remarkable increase, may be fairly
estimated at 180,000 or 65,700,000 quarts yearly.
Calculating this amount at four and a_ half
cents per quart, we have a grand total of nearly
$3,000,000.

There are of course, a great many persons em-
ployed in the distribution of this milk, in New

5

98 Toe Mitx TRADs.

York, Williamsburgh, Jersey City, besides those
whose business it is to attend to the feeding of the
cattle. They number altogether about 1,200, each
having a separate route to serve. The weekly
salary of each of these men amounts to about six
dollars. The number of horses employed does not
exceed 800 at the utmost, the total value of which
might be set down at $80,000, which, by the
addition of wagons, cans, etc., is increased to about
$180,000. The following table presents as acen-
rate a statement as it is possible to give, of the

total amount of property invested in the business :

Total value of horses employed in the distribu-

tion iol: both kinds ohimiik. 22202 Se Pale ee $125,000
Value of carts, cans, and other utensils..-.--.- 184,000
Value of cows in country and city..-.-..----- 445,000
PRG CRA Sere ree ee aha eae eee ne Cee $754,000

Here we have a total of $754,000, the full amount
of capital invested in what may be called the
movable property or stock, independent of the still
larger amount in the form of land, houses, ete., or
immovable property. The total yearly receipts
derived from the sale of milk may be summed up

in the following manner :

Toran Miuk Receipts. 99

eee

Amount received for pure country milk............--. $1,350,000
Amount received for pure swill milk....-.....-...---. 2,550,000

Amount received for water, chalk, magnesia, molasses,
Rae. let peaeG CR ae Ree ERE DT ger pet ae et eat age SRL 1,250,000
tal os Tees ee ee ae, Rac $5,150,000

Little do the people of New York, and of the
cities in its vicinity, imagine the vast amount they,
pay yearly for this one article of food, and but for
the statement before us, which may be regarded as
reliable, it would be almost incredible. The im-
mense sum of more than $3,000,000 yearly ex-
pended in the purchase of an article of the most
deleterious character! Should the great mortality
among children be any longer a subject of wonder ?

It would be wrong, however, to suppose that all
this milk is consumed in its original form; perhaps
not more than a proportion of one third of a quart,
daily, to each individual in the aggregate popula-
tion of New York, and the adjoining cities, is so
used, and of this the largest amount is consumed
by infants. Of the 800,000 quarts* of all kinds sold
in this way, the greatest proportion is used in

* This is the largest quantity sold in any one day during the
summer months, when the supply is more abundant than at any
other season.

100 THe Mitx Trapet.

_—

hotels, restaurants, and in the manufacture of all
kinds of confectionery. In the summer season
particularly, there is a great demand for it in the
form of ice cream, and it is said that one of the
largest saloons in the city used over 500 quarts in
one day, in the manufacture of this article alone.
It is thus made a source of perhaps still greater
profits to others, than it is to the original dealers.

Chapter Gen.
Necessity for an Ordinance to regulate the Sale of Milk, and to prevent its Adul-
teration—History of the Orange County Milk Association.

In the last chapter we endeavored to show the
great importance of the milk trade in this city, by
presenting statistics in relation to the capital in-
vested in it, the amount yearly expended in the
consumption of milk, and the number of persons
engaged in the business. The attention of the pub-
lic has been frequently called to the existence of
the swill stables in and about New York, the sale
of the milk produced in these establishments, and
the injurious consequences resulting from its use;
but little or nothing has, so far, been effected to-
ward the removal of these grievances.

Other matters, of much less importance to the
public interest, have enlisted the particular consid-

eration of our law makers, while this one, affecting

102 THe Miutx TrRrands.

so strongly as it does the health of the city, has
been strangely neglected. An ordinance was passed
some years ago, prohibiting the sale of diseased
meat, under a penalty of twenty-five dollars, and
Congress has made a law punishing also by fine the
sale of adulterated drugs. The use of adulterated
drugs is not attended with the same serious conse-
quences as the use of impure milk, for the ingre-
dients employed in their adulteration are generally
of a harmless nature, merely diminishing the
strength without injuriously affecting the quality.
But it is quite different with the production and
adulteration of swill milk and what comes from the
country.

What, then, should be done to put a stop to the
grievances complained of? It is said, that notwith-
standing the stringent measures adopted by Con-
gress to prevent the sale of adulterated drugs, the
forbidden trafiic is still carried on as extensively as
ever, and that a large amount of diseased meat may
be found exposed for sale in the stalls of some
butchers, in defiance of the ordinance which pun-
ishes the practice with a penalty. In Paris, where

formerly a great quantity of impure milk was con-

Laws FoR Mitkmen. 103

sumed, much greater than in New York, a douane,
or custom-house, for the collection of duties on milk,
has been established. All the milk that passes
through this custom-house is examined before the
owners are allowed to distribute it. This system is
very successful in Paris, but in New York it might
be considered of very doubtful utility, in conse-
quence of the unfavorable feeling with which
custom-houses are generally regarded by the peo-
ple; besides which, it might be converted into a
subject for the pecuniary speculations and advant-
age of politicians, and thus be diverted from the
beneficial purposes for which it should be estab-
lished. We merely mention the existence of such
an institution in Paris, not as an example for our
imitation, but to show the importance which the
municipal government of that city attaches to the
milk trade.

Next to the establishment of country milk asso-
ciations, which was recommended in a former chap-
ter, an ordinance for the licensing of milk wagons
would be the most effective means that could be
adopted to prevent the sale of unhealthy milk. To
render it thoroughly effectual, it would be necessary

104 Tur Miutx TRADE.

to include in its requirements a provision imposing
a penalty of twenty dollars upon every driver who
might be detected in selling the prohibited article.
As in the granting of the licenses ‘to the drivers of
other vehicles, a certificate of recommendation of
good character is required, it would be well to
make some such rule for them.

In this way many of the abuses which at present
exist among the drivers of milk wagons might be
remedied. If an ordinance of this kind were once
passed, it would afford a means of protection to the
consumers of milk, who, in cases of fraud in the
quality of the article with which they were supplied,
could prefer a complaint before the city marshal or
other officer, invested with the power of punishing
such offences. At present the people have no
means of redress except in the general police laws,
which can with difficulty be brought to bear upon
offenses of this character. The milk wagons have
no numbers upon them, their drivers appear to be
independent of all law, make use of many of the
privileges possessed by other cartmen, and help in
wearing out the pavements without paying a single
cent to the city treasury. Why they should be

A Mix Association. 105
SR a eae ee
exempted from the same regulations which govern

other drivers would be difficult to determine.

An ordinance similar to that we have briefly
sketched, with one or two additional provisions,
that experience or further consideration on the sub-
ject might suggest to secure its successful operation,
together with the establishment of milk associations
throughout New York and the adjoining cities,
would do more toward the suppression of the sale of
unhealthy milk, and of the swill nuisances, than all
that has ever been written upon the subject. Some-
thing practical must be done before we can be sup-
plied with good, healthy milk. For those who are
concerned in this matter, and who might desire to
engage in an enterprise like that we have suggested,
the following account of the Orange County Milk
Association may possess some interest:

The association was established in March, 1844,
at a time when the strongest opposition was mani-
fested by the swill milk dairies against the intro-
duction and sale of pure country milk. The stock
was divided into twenty shares, of $250 each,
making a capital of $5000. The inexperience of
the association in the business was attended with

5*

106 Tue Minx Traps.

serious pecuniary loss for the first year or two.
The Erie Railroad had been opened but a short
time before, and the facilities for the transportation
_of the milk were so deficient, as to cause much
irregularity in its delivery to the association.
Added to this difficulty was another, equally dis-
couraging to the company, and detrimental to the
successful prosecution of their business—the farm-
ers knew nothing about cooling the milk, a pro-
cess so very necessary to prevent it from becoming
sour.

When these obstacles in the way of their success
were removed, the business became profitable, and
the proprietors were enabled to contend against the
hostility of the swill milkmen with better fortune.
The proprietorship of the concern changed two or
three times, until it finally came into the possession
of the present owners, of whom there are ten alto-
gether. Under their management the business
has largely increased, and the stock is now valued
at ten thousand dollars. They are under the govy-
ernment of certain rules, and their affairs are con-
ducted, to use a stereotyped phrase of the day, with
‘punctuality and dispatch.” All questions are

Ruies ann REGULATIONS. 107

decided by a majority vote, with the exception of
alterations in the rules, which require eight votes
to render them constitutional.

Such business matters as are not provided for
otherwise are left to the management and decision
of a committee of three, who are also required to
report the delinquencies of any member who may
be found negligent in the performance of his duty.
This committee is elected for one year, and is itself
responsible to the association for all its acts. The
committee elect a chairman, whom they intrust with
the executive power, and who presides over all the
meetings of the company. Not more than four or
five members live in the city, the remainder attend-
ing to the business in the country. One of these is
elected as country agent, whose duty it is to make
all contracts and arrangements for the necessary
supply of milk, and its transportation to the city.

The country members are generally farmers,
and supply a large proportion of the milk sold
by the association, making up the deficiency
by purchasing from other farmers living in their
neighborhood. The city agent attends to the
sale of the milk in New York, Brooklyn, and

108 Tor Miux TRADE.

Jersey City; gives instructions to the drivers as to
the manner and time of its distribution; collects
and pays all bills, rendering an account of his
transactions at the end of every month, when the
books of the establishment undergo a regular inves-
tigation, and the dividends are made. One half
the profits are distributed pro rata among the stock-
holders, and the other half deposited in a savings
bank or invested in public stocks for a sinking
fund, from which the stock account of the associa-
tion may be replenished by a vote of the majority.

All contracts for over one hundred and fifty
dollars require a majority of votes to render them
valid, and then they must be certified by the presi-
dent.

The Orange County Milk Association transacts
the most extensive business of any establishment of
the kind in the city, distributing at present 7,000
quarts of milk daily. Of this quantity, 6,000
quarts are obtained from Orange county, and 1,000
quarts from Dutchess county. To distribute this,
twelve wagons are kept constantly employed, each
of which serves between five and six hundred quarts
daily. A collector is regularly in attendance in

ExtTENsIvVE Custom. 109

the office of the association, on the corner of Wash-
ington and Jay streets, to wait upon families at
their places of residence, to furnish tickets, which
are received by the drivers in payment for the
quantity of milk served, and to rectify all causes of
complaint.

The quantity distributed among private families
every day amounts to 2,500 quarts, and the remain-
ing 4,500 are purchased by hotels, restaurants, and
grocers. Among the customers of the association
are the New York Hospital, and a large number of
physicians. The establishment of associations of
this description in New York would be marked by
a decrease in the infant mortality, and should be
encouraged as the most effectual means of removing
the abuses to which we have referred.

Chapter Eleurn.

Importance of Milk as an article of Diet—Infant Mortality produced by Impure
Milk—Chemical Analysis of different kinds of Milk—A Case of Fatal Milk
Sickness—Nutritious Properties of Milk—Conclusion.

*‘ Mitx,” says a writer on the subject in Les An-
nales @ Hygienne Publique de Paris, “is an object
of great importance to man. It is the first food
nature provides for him, and during his life he
makes frequent use of it, sometimes from choice,
and sometimes from necessity, when his digestive
organs are impaired by sickness. It is not, there-
fore, wonderful,” adds the writer, “that in every
age this liquid should have attracted considerable
attention.” In its natural state, it is regarded by
physicians as one of the most nutritious articles of
human food, and is therefore desiratle for persons
of a weak and sickly constitution. But when ren-
dered impure by adulteration, or produced by arti-
ficial means, its effects on the health of sick persons,

MiutxK SIcKNEsSs. ba

and particularly on the health of children, is most.
deleterious, not unfrequently causing death. In
New York, where a large proportion of the children
are dependent upon cow’s milk mainly for subsist-
ence, unusual mortality prevails among them. In
the weekly report of the City Inspector, the deaths
among children between one and ten years of age
is often two thirds of the whole, and always more
than one half. Various names are given to the
diseases which have caused their death, such as
marasmus, consumption, diarrhea, dysentery, etc.,
but a considerable proportion of these diseases is
produced by the use of adulterated and swill milk.
Physicians who have any practical experience can
tell from the appearance of a sick or unhealthy
child if its ill health has been caused by it, and if
it has, will immediately order a change in its food.

In the nursery hospital on Randall’s Island,
where there are between two and three hundred
children, kept at the expense of the city, the great-
est circumspection is exhibited in their treatment
and diet. The quantity of milk consumed monthly
exceeds five thousand quarts, all of which is pure

country milk, furnished as it comes from the cow.

119 Toe Miutx TRADE.

The good effects resulting from its use are visible
in the health of the children, and the entire absence
of any of those diseases which are invariably pro-
duced by impure milk. In proportion to the popu-
lation of the institution, the yearly mortality is less
than one half that among the children of the city.
This fact is mainly attributable to the cause we
have assigned. |

The slop milk is remarkable for the great length
of time which it takes to coagulate, and for the
small proportion of butter and other nutritious in-
gredients which it contains. The butter which it
affords is whiter than that obtained from any other
kind, and in forming associates itself with more
curd and whey. Dr. Reid, who was formerly Pro-
fessor of Chemistry in the New York Hospital, and
who has analyzed various kinds of milk, says, that
it requires five hours longer than Orange county
milk to coagulate.

This peculiar property, which renders it so dele-
terious, and frequently so fatal to the health of
children, requiring, as it must, such unnatural ex-
ertion of the digestive organs, causes dysentery,
diarrhea, and sometimes convulsions. The follow-

ANALYSIS oF MILK. iis

ing table presents an analysis, made by Professor
Reid, of six descriptions of milk:

No. 1. 2. By hoe 5. 6.

VE SSeS cies ELE. 873.00 860.00 869.10 876.10 888.00 898.00
GEO sha eee nity 30.00 35.00 15.00 14.00 138.00 10.00
Gabein 22.5. 566 5.555 48.20 45.00 62.00 59.00 50.00 45.00
Beeer of milk...) ... 43.90 53.00 44.00 42.00 41.00 40.00
Phosphate of lime -... 2.81 38.85 4.20 4.00 3.20 2.80
Phosphate of magnesia .42 GEG LOB. | Eas Ae
Phosphate of iron..... .07 .09 12 . Lh 10 07
Chloride of potassium. 1.44 2.00 2.97 2.51 246 2.35
Chloride of sodium.... .24 .36 44 42 43 40
Soda in combination

with the casein..... 42 .50 43 .40 .40 80

1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000

No. 1 is an analysis of European milk; No. 2 of
Orange county milk; and Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6, are
analyses of four samples of distillery milk. From
this table it appears that the Orange county milk is
superior even to that produced in Europe, if the
kind analyzed may be regarded as a fair specimen ;
but so different is the swill milk from either, that
the proportions of its component parts differ very
materially. It does not contain one half the amount
of butter, while the other ingredients of which it is
composed, and which are not so very essential as

nutrients, are in greater quantity.

114 Tue Mitx TRapDeE.

The unnatural disproportion in which the parts
are mixed, may also be considered as one of the
causes of its injurious effects upon the human sys-
tem. Dr. Charles A. Lee, in a letter published in
an excellent work on milk, by R. M. Hartley, Esq.,
gives an account of a patient under his charge, who
was afflicted with what might not improperly be
termed milk sickness. The boy, he says, was six
years of age, and had been literally brought up
on still-slop milk. His parents kept a few cows in
the upper part of the city, which they fed upon
swill, and supported themselves by the sale of their
milk. He was always pale and sickly, had a rickety,
bloated appearance, and his sunken eyes and hag-
gard expression of countenance reminded one con-
tinually of a little, premature old man. About a
year before his death he began to fall away in flesh ;
grew weak and irritable; had little appetite, and so
languished till he died. A post-mortem examina-
tion resulted in some remarkable discoveries; there
was an almost entire absence of blood from the
system; the muscles were pale, flabby, and greatly
reduced in size; the blood-vessels about the

heart, which are generally loaded with blood,

A Fatvan Case. 115

were collapsed and empty, and the heart itself was
soft.

The principal marks of disease he found, were in
the mesenteric glands, which are situated near the
chyliferous vessels, through which all the nutriment
that is absorbed has to pass, in its passage to the
thoracic duct. These glands were most extensively
diseased, more than ten’ times their usual size, and
many of them in a high state of inflammation.
This fact accounted for the gradual emaciation of
the child, his want of strength, and ultimate
death.

This is only one case out of hundreds which
might be related, in proof of the fatal effects
which generally result from the use of swill
milk.

When it is adulterated it becomes, of course,
still less innutritious—the process of digestion is
rendered more difficult, and the death of the child
hastened. It also affects the teeth of children,
causing them to decay prematurely, and making
them so soft that insome cases they can be cut with
a dentist’s instrument; while the teeth of children

who have been properly nourished, and whose con-

116 Tar Miutx Traps.

stitutions are sound, possess almost a diamond-like
hardness.

Good milk contains, as is well known, all the
elements necessary not only for the nutrition, but
the growth of the body. Out of the casein of milk
are formed the albumen and fibrin of the blood,
and the proteinaceous and gelatinous tissues. The
butter serves for the formation of fat, and contrib-
utes, with the sugar, to support the animal heat
by yielding carbon and hydrogen to be consumed
in the lungs. The earthy salts are necessary for the
development of the osseous or bony system; the
iron is required for the blood corpuscles, and the
hair; while the alkaline chloride furnishes the
hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice. Ewe’s milk
contains the largest amount of nutritive matter
(casein and butter); but on this account is less
easy of digestion, and therefore unfitted for dys-
peptics. Goat’s milk is considered next to this, but
is also unfit for persons afflicted with dyspepsia ; it
is, however, said to be useful in checking obstinate
diarrhea. Ass’s milk is the least nutritious, but
the most easy of digestion, and with the exception

of human milk, it is the richest in sugar of milk.

Important MerpicaLt Opinion. 117

In the convalescence from acute maladies, in con-
sumptive cases and chronic diseases of the digestive
organs, it is a most valuable aliment.

Good milk, when examined by the microscope, is
found to contain only spherical, transparent glo-
bules, soluble in alkalies and ether. It also yields,
says Dr. Pereira, in his Treatise on Food and Diet,
a flocculent precipitate with acetic acid. It is nota
difficult matter for those who have been accustomed
to the use of good milk to detect the adulterated or
swill milk by its peculiar taste and smell, but with
those who have never used any other it is quite dif.
ferent. We heard of a man once who having been
served with pure country milk for the first time, and
not being able to account for its rich yellow color,
and the unusual quantity of cream, ordered it to be
thrown out as unfit for use, and it required consider-
able trouble to persuade him of his error. To prove
that swill milk is generally regarded by the medical
faculty as most injurious to the health of children,
it is only necessary to refer our readers to the fol-
lowing statement, which was, at the solicitation of
Mr. Hartley, signed by fifty-eight medical gentle-
men of this city: ‘“‘The undersigned, physicians of

118 Toe Mitx TRADE.

the city of New York, being requested to express
our opinion in relation to the milk of cows fed chief-
ly on distillery slop, have no hesitation in stating,
that we believe such milk to be extremely detri-
mental to the health, especially of young children, |
as it not only contains too little nutriment for the
purposes of food, but appears to possess unhealthy
and injurious properties, owing in part, probably,
to the confinement of the cows, and the bad air
which they consequently have to breathe, as well as
the unnatural and pernicious nature of the slop on
which they are fed.”

For many of the scientific facts which we have
given in this chapter we are indebted to Mr. Hart-
ley’s Essay on Milk, A Treatise on Food and Diet,
by Charles A. Lee, Annales d’Hygienne Publique
de Paris, and other works. |

LRBJa'30

ik

aban , a

i KATE: Af
iw yee!
Joe e*

We F
Leger
yes aa 5
\y ap dhe b
iio e*

tee uy

jel
ie
hese Rt
ee

atte

Vane he

a
ae oy
raven

See PN HE

on

ig
yaa”

wey

de

eve mene aa icin
ai 4 Hike

Tee Lue"
ete eh prea

in He
ete
A

Aa on ee
ate ia