258 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



galvanized iron, which is admirable. All these vessels are 

 shallow, the milk being about three inches deep. 



The milk stands consist of light skeleton metal frames, across 

 "which are laid two polished slate slabs; the first tier being 1 

 foot 6 inches from the floor ; the upper, three feet ; the width 

 is 1 foot 4 inches. The windows (4 feet 9 inches high, by 3 

 feet 10 inches wide) are very complete, consisting of three 

 distinct parts, each movable up and down by means of cords and 

 pulleys. (1) Externally is a solid shutter of wood ; (2) in the 

 middle is an ordinary glazed window ; and (3) inside these is a 

 close cocoa-nut screen, which serves in summer the double pur- 

 pose of excluding flies and keeping the apartment cool. By 

 sponging it with cold water, in excessively warm weather, the 

 evaporation reduces the temperature down to a moderate degree. 



It takes from half an hour to an hour to churn with Rowan's 

 churn. Butter produced in less than half an hour is too soft, 

 and when the churning exceeds an hour the quality is seldom 

 good. On on average.it takes about ten quarts of milk to pro- 

 duce one quart of cream, or one pound of butter. It is found 

 that about the same quantity of batter is produced, whether 

 the whole milk or cream is churned. The average return from 

 each of the twenty-six milch cows at the Albert Farm, for the 

 twelve months ending 31st March, 1858, was X18, exclusive of 

 'the milk consumed by pigs and young stock. 



There is a select agricultural library for the use of the pupils ; 

 a laboratory ; and an extensive collection of minerals, dried 

 plants and diagrams to illustrate the various lectures. 



In addition to the machinery already described, there is a 

 large and effective bone mill, worked by steam power. 



The implements consist of ploughs, rollers, grubbers, the 

 zigzag harrow, seed sowers, horse hoes qnd horse rakes, all of 

 the most improved pattern. 



The crops are chiefly wheat, barley, oats, mangel wurzel, 

 Swedish turnips, potatoes, beans, carrots and Italian rye grass. 



Model and other agricultural schools form a part of the system 

 of agricultural education, established in Ireland by the commis- 

 sioners of national education, which comprise several distinct 

 classes of agricultural schools. 



1. The Albert, or central institution, Glasneviu, which, 

 besides being the centre of life and action to the entire scheme, 



