142 CHEESE AND CHEESE-MAKING 



as well as to parts of Ireland and a few districts 

 in England and Scotland. 



Hitherto the reason why the factory has 

 failed to obtain a hold upon the milk-producing 

 portion of our population is that by means of 

 butter or cheese production on a large scale it 

 has not been possible to pay the producer so 

 much for his milk as he can obtain by selling it 

 for consumption in the large towns. There is, 

 however, it is to be feared, a possibility that the 

 value of milk for consumption will fall still lower 

 until it approximates in value to the price paid 

 to the factory. Should this be the case, the 

 factory system is certain to extend ; but under 

 present conditions it is applicable unless in a 

 few special instances and for reasons which it is 

 unnecessary to state only to those parts of the 

 country which are too distant from large centres 

 of population, or which are badly supplied with 

 railway communication. It is for this reason 

 that we find factories existing in parts of 

 Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall, and it is obvious 

 that where butter realizes no more than from 

 lod. to lid. a pound during several of the 

 summer months, the milk cannot be worth 



