Butter Ratio of diffe rent Dairy Breeds. 
123 
The average wholesale prices of milk in England and 
Ireland may be put at 8 d. and 4 d. per gallon respectively, 
very little milk changing hands at lower figures. They may 
therefore be taken as representing the average amount paid by 
factories to farmers for their milk. 
The amount of milk in pounds required to make 1 lb. of 
genuine butter (known as the butter ratio) differs according 
to the quality of the milk, some breeds of cattle yielding 
milk considerably richer in butter fat than others. 
The following Table gives the butter ratio figures of the 
various dairy breeds in England, the number of pounds of 
milk being also shown in gallons : — 
Table I. 
Breed 
Butter ratio 
Gallons of milk 
lb. 
Shorthorn. ..... 
28 
say 2 f 
Red Polled 
30 
„ 3 
South Devon ..... 
25 
„ n 
Ayrshire ...... 
26 
» n 
Dexter ...... 
25 
>) %2 
Kerry ...... 
25 
„ n 
Guernsey ...... 
20 
» 2 
Jersey ...... 
18 
13 
:) 1 4 
Multiplying the number 
of gallons by 
Sd. and 4 d. re- 
spectively, the selling price of milk per gallon 
in England and 
Ireland, the cost of 1 lb. of 
butter, if made 
from the milks 
mentioned above, will be as 
follows : — 
Table II. 
Cost of butter per lb. 
Cost of butter per lb. 
Breed 
if milk at 8 d. per 
if milk at id. per 
gallon 
gallon 
s. d. 
s. d. 
Shorthorn. ..... 
' 1 10 
0 11 
Red Polled 
2 0 
1 0 
South Devon ..... 
1 8 
0 10 
Ayrshire ...... 
say 1 8 
0 10 
Dexter ...... 
1 8 
0 10 
Kerry ...... 
1 8 
0 10 
Guernsey ...... 
1 4 
0 8 
Jersey ...... 
1 2 
0 7 
With very few exceptions the milk from Jersey and 
Guernsey cows in England is used in private dairies, and does 
not come into the open market at all ; so that it may be left out 
of the calculations. The remaining figures show pretty clearly 
that genuine butters cannot be made in England to sell at a 
