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JOURNAL  OF  IIORTTCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  1,  1903. 
The  Brassels  Dairy  Congress, 
A  most  notable  collection  of  scieiitific  dairying  experts 
attended  tliis  international  meeting,  the  latest  of  a  series  which 
have  been  held  on  the  continent  of  Europe  in  various  places. 
There  were  present  500  delegates  from  every  part  of  tbe  world, 
all  the  principal  governments  except  our  own  being  oflBcially 
represented.  Considering  the  important  position  wbicli  the 
dairy  occupies  in  our  national  economy,  our  rapidly  increasing 
urban  population,  and  the  increasing  demand  for  dairy  products, 
it  is  not  very  creditable  to  our  authorities  that  they  should 
neglect  such  an  admirable  opportunity  of  acquiring  valuable 
information  on  a  matter  of  national  importance.  There  were 
certainly  three  or  four  Englishmen  present,  one  being  a  well- 
bnown  professor,  but  in  no  otiicial  capacity. 
As  one  of  tbe  objects  of  these  meetings  is  to  form  an  inter¬ 
national  federation,  it  is  most  desirable  that  we  should  not  Le 
left  out  in  the  cold,  but  that,  as  the  best  customers  for  dairy 
jiroduce,  we  should,  at  any  rate,  have  some  voice  in  the  regulation 
of  their  production.  It  is  not  only  as  an  agricultural,  but  as  a 
generally  economic  question  that  it  is  so  important,  lor  the 
equality  of  the  imports  of  dairy  produce  is  of  vital  interest  to  our 
teeming  population.  To  encourage  the  production  of  })ure 
butter,  and  to  see  that  margarine  mixtures  are  not  palmed  off  to 
the  consumer  in  its  stead,  are  surely  worthy  enough  objects  to 
our  agricultural  authorities. 
It  was  in  connection  with  the  possible,  or  rather  probable, 
adulteration  of  butter  with  margarine,  that  a  most  important  and 
a  very  sharp  discussion  arose.  A  proposition  was  made  that  it 
was,  and  is,  desirable  that  some  substance  should  be  mixed  with 
margarine,  so  that  if  the  latter  should  he  used  in  the  adulteration 
of  butter  its  presence  could  be  detected  by  chemists.  Starch  or 
sesame  oil  mixed  with  margarine  can  he  readily  detected, 
although  they  do  not  affect  the  sale  of  margarine  as  such.  The 
carrying  of  the  above  proposition  was  much  resented  by  the 
Dutch  delegates,  who  left  the  Congress  in  a  body.  It  appears 
that  there  is  a  system  of  private  control  in  Holland  which  super¬ 
vises  the  export  of  hutter,  and  that  butter  sent  into  Belgium 
from  Holland  direct  from  the  centre  of  control  was  found 
satisfactorily  pure,  but  that  butter  which  had  been  detained  or 
reconsigned  had  been  adulterated  with  margarine.  The  Dutch 
Government  propose  to  inaugurate  a  system  of  national  control ; 
but  the  simplest  course  would  be  to  agree  to  the  addition  to 
margarine  of  a  revealing  substance,  so  that  its  presence  in 
Dutch  or  any  other  butter  can  be  easily  ascertained.  We  can 
only  hope  that  the  recommendations  of  the  Congress  on  this 
matter  may  bear  fruit,  and  that  the  use  of  margarine  for  butter 
adulteration  may  be  made  impossible. 
A  visit  was  paid  by  the  Congress  to  an  institution  which 
could  with  advantage  be  imitated  in  this  country.  It  was  a 
school  at  Louvain,  managed,  or  rather  under  the  supervision  of 
religious  sisters.  The  students  are  peasant  girls  who  are 
taught  science,  three  languages,  cooking,  laundry  work,  dress¬ 
making,  dairying,  poultry-keeping,  and  gardening,  at  a  cost  to 
the  parents  of  ilO  per  annum,  the  balance  of  cost,  w'e  presume, 
being  borne  by  the  State.  There  are  1200  girls  in  residence, 
and  everything  is  couducted  on  the  most  modern  and  up-to- 
date  princii^les.  Why  should  education  of  this  Kind  be  left  to 
the  private  enterprise  of  such  pioneers  as  Lady  Warwick,  who 
cannot,  wuth  limited  funds  at  their  command,  provide  education 
at  such  an  easy  rate  as  this  ?  No  doubt  the  couuty  councils  may 
do  something  in  this  direction  if  they  are  willing  and  the 
Education  Department  will  let  them,  but  we  fear  that  the  way 
they  are  cutting  down  expenses  of  the  voluntary  schools  does 
not  promise  much  liberality  in  the  direction  of  secondary 
technical  education. 
The  Children’s  Employment  Bill. 
We  have  just  been  writing  of  Continental  encouragement  to 
true  rural  education.  Here  is  a  contrast.  Under  the  i)rovisions 
of  the  Education  Acts,  children  will  shortly  have  to  remain  at 
school  until  they  are  fifteen  years  of  ago,  to  assimilate  know¬ 
ledge  which,  to  a  large  majority  of  them,  will  be  of  no  practical 
use,  while,  as  if  keeping  them  so  long  at  school  was  not  sufficient 
safeguard  against  their  being  taught  to  become  useful  citizens, 
here,we  have  a  Bill  to  effectually  fill  all  the  loopholes  left  open 
by  the  education  authorities.  We  are  confident  that  the  rural 
elector  who  has  got  fully  roused  on  the  education  question  will 
show  a  very  considerable  interest  in  this  side  of  it  at  the 
approaching  general  election.  The  Bill  is  evidently  framed  to 
deal  with  the  evils  which  no  doubt  exist  in  connection  with 
child  employment  in  large  towms,  but  it  unfortunately  also 
applies  to  rural  districts  where  those  evils  seldom  or  rarely 
exist.  The  councils  of  cities  and  large  towns  are  given  power 
to  make  bye-laws  under  the  Act,  but  rural  councils  are  not  given 
this  power,  and  the  Act  will  be  administered  under  certain  very 
drastic  statutory  provisions,  which  will  almost  entirely  prevent 
the  employment  of  children  on  the  land.  Girls  who  remain 
at  school  until  they  are  fifteen  go  at  once  into  domestic  service, 
and  it  is  the  same  with  "hoys,  except  that  keeping  them  at 
school  so  long,  and  allowing  them  no  light  hreaking-in,  they  are 
disinclined  for  anything  of  a  laborious  nature,  but  nearly  all 
aim  at  clerkships,  being  a2)preuticed  to  tradesmen  or  shop¬ 
keepers. 
We  are  glad  to  see  that  so  prominent  a  man  as  Mr.  Jesse 
Ceilings  sees  the  wrong  which  such  a  bill  may  bring  about.  A 
few  words  of  his  jmblished  by  ‘‘Farm  and  Home”  are  worth 
repeating.  ”  The  whole  Bill  bristles  with  new  made  crimes, 
crimes  for  the  most  i)art  not  the  result  of  dishonesty,  misconduct, 
or  moral  wrong-doing,  but  connected  with  work.  Labour  is 
discredited  and  associated  in  the  minds  of  the  young  with  crime 
and  with  the  policeman  who  has  to  enforce  the  law.” 
These  are  forcible  words,  but  none  too  strong.  There  is  a 
very  wrong  impression  abroad  that  child  labour  means  hardship. 
There  is  no  such  thing  connected  with  it  in  rural  districts.  On 
the  contrary,  at  certain  times  of  the  year  occujiation  may  he 
found  for  children  on  the  land,  which  not  only  provides  useful 
additions  to  the  family  exchequer  and  is  beneficial  to  the 
community,  but  is  a  source  of  interest  and  enjoyment  to  the 
children  themselves.  We  may  add  that  by  children  the  Act 
means  all  under  sixteen  j'ears  of  age. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
Except  a  field  here  and  there,  and  a  few  rakings,  the  harvest 
is  safe  in  stack,  -and  thatchers  are  having  a  busy  time.  It  is 
interesting  to  observe  the  difference  in  the  manner  of  thatch¬ 
ing  on  farms  contiguous  to  each  other.  The  thatching  is  all  let 
by  the  square  yard  of  thatch  jiut  on,  tfie  price  varying  from  Id. 
to  2d.  iier  yarcl.  On  one  farm,  occupied  by  a  farmer  of  the  old- 
fashioned  type,  one  who  has  weathered  the  storms  which  have 
swamped  many  a  neighbour,  and,  although  careful  in  his  ex¬ 
penditure,  yet  scorning  to  do  things  in  a  slipshod  way,  the 
stacks  are  being  covered  as  if  the  thatch  were  reciuired  to 
stand  for  three  or  four  years,  and  the  thatcher  who  receiv^es 
2d.  irer  yard  earns  little  more  than  ordinary  daily  wages, 
though  he  may  obtain  much  .satisfaction  from  the  knowledge  that 
he  has  done  especially  good  work.  On  the  other  side  of  a 
narrow  lane  is  another  stack  j’ard.  Here  things  are  %"ery 
different.  One  pemny  jrer  yard  seems  good  pay  for  the  work 
which  is  being  done,  and  it  is  the  evident  intention  of  the 
young  and — may  we  say? — irrogressive  occupier  to  make  the 
best  use  of  a  thre.shing  machine;  and  when  his  stacks  are  once 
dry,  to  give  them  little  chance  of  getting  wet  again.  The  very 
shape  of  the  stacks  suggest  instability,  and  they  are  evidently 
not  meant  to  staju  The  new  system  may  S2>ell  profit  to  the 
farmer,  hut  means  death  to  the  labourer  and  his  employ¬ 
ment. 
A  few  fine  da\s  since  harvest  concluded  have  enabled  us  to 
cultivate  and  make  a  fair  fallow  of  one  piece  of  wheat  stubble. 
The  moist  weather  was  encouraging  the  spread  of  a  few  clumps 
of  couch,  but  they  have  been  successfully  dissipated  into  smoke, 
and  that  field  will  be  no  source  of  anxiety  until  spring  comes 
again.  Seeds  ploughing  has  been  somewhat  hindered,  but  will 
now  receive  full  attention. 
Potatoes,  which  were  dying  off  so  fast,  are  now  holding  their 
own,  and  will  not  be  ripe  so  soon  by  a  week  as  we  had  expected. 
There  is  a  very  sharp  inquiry  by  inrrchasers  for  winter  de¬ 
livery.  Some  lots  are  being  hurried  off  to  meet  a  strong  spot 
demand,  and  Potatoes  are  distinctly  booming.  The  great  de¬ 
mand  is  for  Up-to-Date,  which  has  not  yet  been  knocked  out  by 
the  army  of  grand  new  sorts.  We  hear  of  Northern  Star  being 
sold  at  £8  per  cwt.  There  must  be  a  big  lot  of  Northern  Star 
in  the  country.  Will  there  be  customers  for  them  at  £160  per 
ton  ? 
All  kinds  of  sheep  are  hardening  in  price,  but  breeding  ewes 
are  very  dear.  Useful  gimmers  are  making  60s.  each,  which 
is  something  like  10s.  over  last  year’s  jirice.  Rams  also  are 
much  dearer.  Beef  is  not  a  good  trade,  but  there  is  a  good 
prospect  for  Xmas  beef,  and  graziers  who  can  winter  feed  will 
be  foolish  to  hurry  off  their  bullocks.  Cake  is  reasonable  now, 
and  will  pay  for  use,  whilst  there  will  he  abundance  of  winter 
(  food  to  resort  to  in  November. 
