BUTTER, MILK, CHEESE 139 



6Jd. to 7d. per lb. — is in part caused by the irregularity of the quality 

 of the Westmorland butter and recommended the appointment of an 

 agent to visit the Lancashire towns in order to bring sellers and cus- 

 tomers together and that J. Wakefield should inspect all the dairies, 

 but nothing came of the proposal. 



It was in 1869 that Lady Ahce Kenlis, afterwards Lady Bective, 

 started giving prizes at the Kendal Agricultural Show and she continued 

 them till 1898, when after the show she wrote to the papers giving her 

 reasons for withdrawing her prizes : — " It was over 30 years since 

 she started giving them and she now withdrew them as the prizes 

 had entirely failed to effect the results for which they were instituted. 

 When it was suggested to her in 1865 or 66 that Westmorland butter 

 was bad and fetched a low price, she consented to offer prizes, secure 

 competent judges, and endeavour to raise the standard of butter making 

 throughout the county. But though the ' show ' butter at Kendal and 

 other shows may have somewhat improved in quality, the general 

 butter-making throughout Westmorland all the year round shows a 

 very low standard. During 50 out of 52 weeks it will not keep, it is 

 not properly made and it does not fetch the prices given elsewhere for 

 first-class butter." 



An angry newspaper correspondence followed and in the end others 

 came forward in the following year and continued the butter prizes. 



The highest price recorded for butter was in 1874 and 1875, when 

 in Kendal and other markets it reached 2/- per lb., while a few special 

 dairies brought 2/2 per lb. 



In 1889 the County Council started a migratory dairy school with 

 a paid teacher, the first village visited being Kirkby Lonsdale. A 

 series of lectures and demonstrations were given for short periods in 

 the villages visited, and at first strong prejudice was evinced against it, 

 which may be summed up in the remarks of a farmer in Kendal market : 

 " Dang ther dairy scheuls " he said, " my missus alius med good butter 

 and got top price and I'll back her an t'ould way agin ther new notions 

 fer out thou likes to lig doon." In face of such a spirit it is not sur- 

 prising that the progress made has been slow and a great deal yet 

 remains to be done if Westmorland butter is to attain the high position 

 desired. 



When the dairy school was again at Kirkby Lonsdale in 1897, 



