Report on the Exhibition of Cheese at Chester. 413 



them to do so ; and I doubt not the factors will as willingly give 

 up buying coloured cheeses whenever their customers (the con- 

 sumers) are content to give up eating them. 



Even admitting that the colouring matter used is a genuine 

 preparation from annatto, it is a most disagreeable, not to say 

 disgusting, thing both to the smell and taste, and has the further 

 objection of being an expensive article, the retail price being now 

 Is. 6d. per lb. It is estimated that 1 lb. is sufficient for colouring 

 a ton of cheese ; but I have no doubt in many dairies much more 

 than this proportion is used. In Gloucestershire the estimate 

 formerly was 1 lb. for half a ton of cheese. As it is not impro- 

 bable but that more than 6000 tons of coloured cheese are made 

 in Cheshire, at least 6000 lbs. of colouring matter are required, and 

 will cost 22501. This amount is, no doubt, trifling when com- 

 pared with the value of the cheese ; but the absurdity of the thing 

 is, that it is so much money indirectly paid by the consumers in 

 London and elsewhere, and imposed upon themselves, in order 

 that they may have the gratification of eating an adulterated 

 article. 



The remaining portion of this Report has reference to the 

 manufacture of cheese ; but it has a direct bearing on the exhibi- 

 tion, as will be seen by what follows. 



When the Committee at Chester determined upon giving prizes 

 for cheese, it occurred to myself and others that the opportunity 

 should not be lost of obtaining, if possible, some information on 

 the subject of cheesemaking. With this in view, a number of 

 queries were drawn up by a Sub-Committee, which were to be 

 answered, at their option, by parties competing for prizes ; it 

 being understood that their refusal was in no way to interfere 

 with their privileges as competitors. 



In a Report of the 16th February, 1858, the result of the Local 

 Committee's deliberations on this subject is given as follows : — 



" Your Committee, being anxious to seize every opportunity arising out of 

 tliis great exhibition to improve the agriculture of this locality, resolved ou 

 submitting a series of questions, to be answered by the competitors for prizes 

 affered for cheese, with the view of ascertaining, as nearly as jx)ssible, the system 

 practised with the greatest success; and your Committee, with the assistance 

 of Messrs. H. White, J. Palin, AV. Palin, G. Jackson, Tilston, and H. B. Bris- 

 coe, have decided on the followng form, w'hich they recommend should accom- 

 jiany each certificate for cheese, with the request that it may be carefully 

 filled up, and returned under seal to the Secretary, and to remain in his hands 

 imopened until after the ])rizes shall have been decided. By this means ma- 

 terials would be secured for the purpose of an important publication, should 

 such be the decision of the Committee." 



It is unnecessary to give here a complete copy of the form 

 ?.-eferred to in this Report : the questions asked are, however, 

 indicated in the fc^liowing Table, in which I have given the 



