Report on the Exhibition of Cheese at Chester. 405 



rarely, the flavour were ascertained, but, as a rule, the opinion 

 of the judges was determined by the first-mentioned qualities. 

 And here I may note by the way that exhibitors were not allowed 

 to bore, or in any way try the cheeses before bringing them to 

 the show ; if they had been so allowed, their selection would no 

 doubt have been better than in many instances it proved to be ; 

 but it is probable that the samples would not have been so fair 

 a representation of the bulk. 



In estimating the different degrees of excellency it is usual for 

 each of the judges to note for his own guidance what he considers 

 the market value per cwt. of each lot. This was done by some, 

 if not by all, of the judges at Chester ; and after boring the whole 

 of the cheese which competed for any particular prize, the notes 

 were compared, and certain numbers agreed upon as the best. 

 A second inspection of these then took place before the borings 

 were redeposited in the cheese, and before awarding the prizes, 

 which were in every case assigned by unanimous decisions. In 

 the 3rd Class there was, if I remember rightly, a doubt in the 

 mind of one of the judges to which lot of cheese the first prize 

 should be awarded ; but ultimately he was satisfied with the 

 decision of the other five, and the award was made without a 

 division, and in favour, as I have before stated, of imcoloured 

 cheese, the second prize being given to a coloured one. 



As one proof, amongst others which I am about to adduce, of 

 the correctness of the decisions of the judges, I may mention a 

 circumstance with reference to the champion cheese. The judges, 

 who were of course in entire ignorance of the names of exhibitors, 

 decided that No, 36 was the best in the first class (coloured 

 cheese of 1857), and No. 104 the best in the second class [un- 

 coloured cheese of 1857), both these lots being made in the same 

 dairy ! The judges had now to determine to which of these 

 two the champion prize should be awarded. After a rigid 

 scrutiny, they ultimately decided in favour of No. 36 (the coloured 

 cheese) ; for, on re-examination of both lots, they found that one 

 of the four uncoloured cheeses (No. 104) was " a little bitter," 

 and another " a little too salt." I afterwards ascertained from 

 Mr. Willis, the owner of these cheeses, that the champion 

 cheeses (No. 36) were made in September, when the cows were 

 fed on grass only, and the others (No. 104) when the cows had 

 commenced eating a few turnips icith the grass, which would 

 more or less deteriorate the flavour. 



But to proceed. Mr. Willis, the winner of the champion 

 prize, being disqualified from obtaining any other, the first prize 

 in the first class was awarded to No. 4 (Mr. Ankers), to whom 

 Avas awarded the second prize in the second class — being another 

 proof that, where the cheese was from a good dairy, the judges 



