and its adaptability to Enrjlish Dairy Districts. 181 
milk which lie sends to the factory. In any case Id. per lb. 
may be considered sufficient to cover every expense. 
With regard to the profit which such a charge will leave to 
the proprietors of the factory, we cannot do better than quote 
the following statement given by Mr. VVillard in his paper 
already referred to : * — 
" To run a factory using the milk of GOO cows will give constant employment 
to at least four persons, half or more of whom may be females. Before the 
war, when piiccs had not become inflated, the actual cost of manufacturing 
the milk from LiOO cows was about 700 dollars for the season. This sum does 
not cover interest on capital invested for buildings and fixtures, but was the 
amount paid for labour, board, fuel, &c. 
" From these data it will be easily estimated what amount of money can be 
realised from the business of manufacturinjl. Allowing that the 600 cows 
produce, on an average, 400 lbs. of cheese each, there will be in the aggregate 
240,000 lbs. The cost of a well-constructed factory will not be far from 
3000 dollars. 
" We have, then, — £. 
240,000 lbs. at one cent.f 480 
Cost of running factory .. .. .. .. ..£140 
Interest on buildings, &c. .. .. .. ..42 
Annual wear and tear, or depreciation of propei iy .. 40 
222 
Profit £258 
" Now, for 300 cows, nearly the same expense would be incurred, and the 
factory account would stand thus : — 
£. 
120,000 lbs. of cheese at one cent ' . . 240 
Expense of running factory .. .. .. ..£140 
Interest on capital invested .. .. .. ..42 
Annual depreciation of property . . . . . . . . 40 
222 
Profit £18 
" We do not pretend to give the exact figures in the above estimate, but it 
will be seen that a factory manufacturing the milk of a less number than 300 
cows will not be a very paying business, unless the manufacturer can have 
most of the work performed by members of his own family." 
It therefore seems tolerably clear that there is a limit (in 
America the limit is about oOO cows) below which a cheese- 
factory will not be self-supporting ; but there is another limit, 
above which the factory becomes unwieldy, too much for the 
supervision of one superintendent, and requiring the milk to 
be drawn from too large an area ; but this latter element must 
vary with the nature of the roads and the means of conveyance. 
Of late years, therefore, what is known as the " Branch factory 
system" has been established in many localities. It is well 
* ' Report of the Commissioner of Agi iculture, ISC'),' pp. 442, 443. 
t I have translated dollars into pounds sterling throughout this article, in round 
Jiurabers. at the rate of 4s. per dollar. 
