Report on Butter, Cheese, Provisions, §*c., at Kilhurn. 673 
■exist ! Of the 400,000 farms, every one of which is under 30 
acres, the dairy accommodation is deplorably bad. 
How this want is to be supplied in Ireland will, I have no 
•doubt, be considered by the Royal Commission on Agricultural 
Depression. Meantime, landlords and farmers could co-operate 
in more ways than one. In most parts of Ireland the farms are 
so small that we cannot expect that the milk will be sent to 
factories. The sending of the cream is quite practicable ; but 
a still more practicable plan is to take the butter fresh from the 
churn to factories and dress it for market. 
I intended to go at length into the Irish butter business, 
which possesses interest to both English and Irish readers ; but 
the subject will come more appropriately before the Assistant 
Commissioners appointed by the Government to inquire into 
agricultural depression in Ireland. In this Report I also in- 
tended to offer a few hints on butter-making ; but in this I have 
been anticipated by the Council of the Society, at whose request 
Mr. Jenkins has produced a brochure of great value. 
I need not occupy space in this part of the ' Journal ' with a 
detailed notice of the prizes. 
Many persons were surprised at the paucity and want of 
quality of Dutch keeping-butter, and the Judges very properly 
■withheld the prizes. 
In Class 335 — other European countries than those named — 
an enormous number of entries were made by the Finnish Agri- 
cultural Society on the part of the farmers of Finland. That 
Society has taken great pains to explain the various means 
adopted in that country for producing good butter. They have 
itinerant dairy-instructors, and they have agricultural schools of 
various grades. In this class the first and second prizes were 
awarded to Swedish exhibitors. If they were eligible to com- 
pete, they deservedly won the prize ; but it appeared to me that 
all Swedish keeping-butter should have competed in Class 333 
(Scandinavian butter). 
In Class 336 — Fresh Butter — the competition was very keen. 
The prizes appeared to be very fairly won. There were no less 
than eight high commendations and fourteen commendations. 
Cheese. 
I had expected a larger and more interesting show of cheese. 
The prizes were most liberal in all the classes ; yet they failed 
to attract a large number of entries in any class. 
In several classes the prizes were withheld, as the list of 
awards will show. 
VOL. XV. — S. S. 2 z 
