16 CHEESE AND CHEESE-MAKING 



who never make first-class cheese : there are 

 some who obtain more and who have a reputa- 

 tion for a first-class article. In the Colonies and 

 America it is probable that makers as a body 

 do not receive more than ^d. per gallon for their 

 milk, net. If, therefore, we take an average 

 cow of moderate pretensions, giving 400 gallons 

 of milk per annum (and it is an undoubted fact 

 that the majority of the cows in the country do 

 not exceed this modest quantity), we shall find 

 that the returns per cow, taking $d. as the 

 basis, would amount to 8 6s. 8d., while the 

 returns in the Cheddar-producing countries 

 abroad would only amount to 5. In a 4O-cow 

 dairy, therefore, the gross returns in England 

 would amount to 366 per annum, and in the 

 other countries referred to, to 200. The ques- 

 tion now arises, whether this difference repre- 

 sents the extra cost of rent, taxes, and labour : 

 whether, in fact, the farmer is better off in this 

 country with the higher receipts, or in other 

 countries with the lower receipts. We venture 

 to think that the British farmer holds the 

 superior position, and that it is better worth 

 his while to pay a good rent for good land and 



