63 



Dairy Industry in Normandy. 



and other stations, all on the Cherbourg and Paris main 

 line, agricultural produce being carried at reduced rates on a 

 sliding scale, varying according to distance : 14 c. {i^d.) per 

 ton per kilom. (0*62 mile) for less than 50 kiloms. ; 12 c. (ij^.) 

 for distances of 51 to 100 kiloms. ; 10 c. {id.) for distances 

 varying from loi and 150, and so on. Reduced rates are also 

 granted by the London and South-Western Railway 

 Company for the carriage in bulk to London, viz., 165-. Sd. 

 per ton from Cherbourg. All the charges of conveyance 

 and loading are proportionately divided between the several 

 exporters, and debited to them by the local agent of the 

 London and South-Western Railway Company. This 

 arrangement has attracted much trade to Cherbourg in the 

 matter of dairy and market-garden produce. 



The produce of local market-gardens and poultry -farms is 

 brought to the wharf in carts before nightfall, the vegetable 

 produce being gathered and the poultry killed and prepared 

 during the day. 



The Isigny district owes its reputation to the soil, but the 

 land in the neighbouring area is not of the best for butter. 

 As the result, Isigny butter fetches as much as 2S. id. per lb. 

 in the Paris market, while for ordinary Normandy butter not 

 more than about \s. 6d. can be obtained. 



The farms (in the dairying localities) consist mainly of 

 permanent pasture, and the cows are at grass almost all the 

 year round. The local breed of cattle is the Cotentin, 

 which has been kept pure for at least a century. It is of 

 good size, but does not fatten easily, although the meat 

 fetches a high price. The cows yield a fair quantity of milk 

 (from 2 to 4 gallons per day), but the quality is inferior 

 to that of Jerseys. About 2| gallons are required to 

 produce i lb. of butter. 



Poultry rearing is another important and growing industry 

 in this district. The expense of collecting- eggs and poultry 

 at the local fairs and markets, often even at the farms them- 

 selves, is not large, as the dealer s cart goes on its weekly 

 round. The cost of food in skimmed milk and barley meal 

 is not great, the plant and machinery is a trifle, and manual 

 labour is not a considerable item. With the simple device of a 



