ON AGRICULTURE TO IRELAND 93 



impossible to effect sales at the rate of production. For this 

 reason a store of some kind must be provided, so that these 

 periods may be tided over. If a refrigerating plant is available, 

 it may not only be used for cooling the store but for lowering the 

 temperature of the ripened cream before churning, or for cooling 

 the water for any of the coolers. The solidity to which butter 

 attains while standing in a cold store is retained for a long time, 

 and enables it to travel well by road and rail, and to be delivered 

 to the merchants in very much better condition than would other- 

 wise be possible, and ensures more rapid sales later on. Some of 

 the creameries have found considerable dithculty in raising capital 

 to put in refrigerating machines, but the result has always justified 

 the expenditure. 



Composition of Irish Milk 



When the enormous differences which exist in the conditions 

 under which cows are kept in the different districts of Ireland are 

 considered, it is wonderful how little has been the variation in the 

 average quality of milk supplied to the co-operative creameries. 

 The I.A.O.S. Eeport for 1903-4 states that from 46^ millions of 

 gallons of milk supplied to the co-operative creameries, the 

 average quantity required to produce 1 lb. of butter was 2*39 

 gallons. This is particularly gratifying when compared with 

 the results which were obtained by the proprietary creameries 

 fourteen years ago. At that time an enquiry was made at a large 

 number of proprietary creameries in Ireland as to the quantity of 

 milk required to produce 1 lb. of butter, and the replies received 

 showed that the quantity ranged from 2*75 to 3 gallons of milk. 

 Since then, methods of quickly testing milk have been very much 

 improved, and that, doubtless, is one of the principal reasons for 

 the smaller quantity now required. A noted American authority 

 on dairy matters once said that "the Babcock milk tester had 

 done more to make the dairymen of the United States honest 

 than all the Bibles ever printed in it." We do not know whether 

 the same thing can be said about the dairymen of Ireland, but 

 since the introduction of the Gerber tester, which is universally 

 used in Ireland, the improvement in the milk has been undoubted. 



The Value of Milk in Ireland 



In Ireland scarcely any cheese is made, and the quantity of 

 milk sold for consumption as milk is trifling compared with the 

 total production of the country. The convereiou of milk into 

 butter is the main outlet for the bulk of the milk of Ireland. 

 The co-operative creamery system gives an opportunity for getting 

 at average prices of dairy products, which is not obtainable where 

 the milk is converted into butter or cheese on the farm. Owing 

 to the bulk of the butter which is produced in Ireland being 

 summer butter, the average price realised is necessarily less than 

 would be the case if the production was spread over the whole 

 year. The average price realised for Uutter by the co-operative 



