296 Experiences of the Severe Winter 0/ 1890-91. 
curd is ascertained by the application of the red-hot poker. 
This leads the mind back to the days of Jesse Williams, the 
father of the factory system, and can scarcely be accepted as 
complimentary to the intelligence of the last decade of the 
nineteenth century. Let the landlords and tenant farmers, who 
are equally interested, band themselves together, erect and 
equip factories, and thus lay the foundation of an industry that 
will alike benefit the interests of agriculture and of the nation. 
Last year a Limited Liability Butter Factory, of which I am a 
director, handled about half a million gallons of milk ; this j^ear 
we are considerably increasing the quantity. We have now an 
established trade, and are well satisfied with the results. At 
a recent meeting an offer was placed before us from a London 
firm, doing a large family trade, for a given quantity per day for 
a fixed period at an advance of \d. per lb. on the price of the 
best Jersey. This we declined to acce^^t, as we can place all we 
make at more money. A retailer who sujjplies families has been 
making \s. 8c? per lb, for factory butter during the winter 
months. 
The contract prices of milk during the season of 1890-91 
were practically the same as they have been for the last two or 
three years — Ls-. 2d. per barn gallon of 17 imperial pints for the 
six summer months, and Is. Id. per barn gallon for the six winter 
months, the farmer jiaying carriage. For a week or two at about 
Christmas time accommodation milk made 2s. Qd. per dozen of 
three imperial gallons, this being the measure by which milk is 
purchased for the Manchester market. The finest factory butter 
made from Is. Ul.to \s. 6d. per lb. wholesale, and retailers having 
a good family trade charged their regular customers Is. 8d. per 
lb. Best Derbyshire cheese made from i)2s. to 60s. per cwt. of 
120 lb. ; fine Cheshire made rather more money. 
The lambing season in the Southern Counties, which is fully 
two months earlier than generally obtains in the Midlands, was 
successful. There was a full average crop of strong, healthy 
lambs, and less than the usual mortality amongst the ewes. 
Owing to the nearly total destruction of the root crops, and 
the backward state of the forage and seed crops, the breeding 
ilocks have been with difficulty, and at great cost, carried through 
the trying season. The crops that best withstood the severity, 
of the winter were the difi'erent varieties of kale. Where these 
crops wei'e late-sown, and tlie kale seed was mixed with common 
green-to]) turnip, it is remarkable how the latter resisted the 
frost. This was, to some extent, due to the protection given 
by the kale. 
