SYSTEM v. RULE OF THUMB 



Cheese Schools in 1888 and up to the end of 1905, 

 the Society, in conjunction with County Coun- 

 cils and other public bodies for whom it had 

 acted, expended no less a sum than 31,940 in 

 the promotion of techincal instruction in dairy- 

 ing through the medium of these schools. Even 

 this amount by no means represents the total 

 expenditure, for it does not include many local 

 expenses, in connection with the travelling butter 

 schools, defrayed by local bodies co-operating 

 with the Society. The Society carried on these 

 schools until County Councils were able, by the 

 light of the Society's experiences, to undertake 

 the conduct of them themselves. 



It is impossible to over-estimate the gain to 

 the agricultural community by this method of 

 disseminating a knowledge of this important 

 branch of the industry. It substituted for mere 

 rule of thumb carefully thought-out methods, 

 the value of which had been tested scientifically 

 as well as practically on the latest principles. 

 In dealing with the various problems arising out 

 of the new work, the Society had the assistance 

 of its permanent staff of consulting officials, 

 leading experts in their several departments, 

 these including the late and the present Dr. J. A. 

 Voelcker, M.A., F.I.C., F.C.S., the Society's consult- 

 ing chemist ; Professor W. Carruthers, F.R.S., its 

 consulting botanist ; the late Professor Sir George 

 Brown, K.C.B., its veterinary adviser ; and Mr. F. 

 J. Lloyd, F.T.C., F.C.S., its dairy and cider expert; 

 whilst its Committee of direction, being composed 

 of men whose intimate knowledge and experience 

 of the conditions under which agriculture was 



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