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marketable here. I would give just as much for other farmers' good butter. The best butter in Ireland is made in Carlow, one of the midland counties. This butter is made by farmers who have from five to twenty cows altogether. It is churned by hand in that district. 407. The Chairman.] What time do you consider the best for colonial butter to arrive in the British market ?—I would not advise colonial butter to arrive before the beginning of December. 408. Up to what time ? —Not later than the first or second week in March. Foreign butter arrives in December, January, and February. 409. What time does Canadian butter arrive?— Just the same time. For instance, Scotch butter begins to come into supply in the open market in March ; Irish is plentiful in April; Belgium butter is always in request, and. the reason is that you can have it in London in twenty-eight hours, and, it does not matter whether it is winter or summer, it takes the market. 410. Can you tell us the comparative price received during any given month for foreign butter as against the Home product ?—During these months there is very little Home product in the market; what is in is old butter. Butter made in the summer or harvest time is consumed by the second week in December, when there is none to be got, only repacks bought from the farmers on account of not being worth salting. This is sold to what are called repackers, and it is the only Home butter in the winter' time. 411. You have not mentioned Danish butter?—-That takes the market at any time. 412. You place that in the same category as Belgium ?—Yes. 413. Do you know anything about the storage of butter arriving here before being shipped?— That is one of the great injuries to the butter here. The butter is put down on the wharf in the baking sun before shipping —perhaps a whole day. I have seen hundreds of casks lying there w 7 ith the oil running through the casks. 414. Does that injure the butter? —Yes; that butter should not be shipped at all. 415. You think it is necessary, if we are are to have a butter trade, to have enough storage ? —The butter should be put in cool-storage until the time of shipment. It should be actually taken off the drays and put on the boats. We should never think in Ireland —in Cork and Inniskillen—of sending butter out of the stores to the trains before it was cooled. 416. What kind of stores have you ? —We have to build them of brick if there is no stone. We have to keep the butter a week in some cases. It is all kept in stone, concrete, or brick buildings. 417. Do the dairies provide cool-chambers for their products?— Yes; in County Fermanagh prizes are given to the farmers, and Lord Erin gives a premium to his tenants, who vie with each other to have the nicest and cleanest dairy. That is one great fault you have here. The dairies are neither clean nor cool, and are not adapted for making good butter. 418. Do you think it would do good if the Government were to appoint a dairy inspector?— That is, if they appoint a competent one ; that is required here very much. But the great thing is to get a competent man —one who thoroughly understands the working of a dairy. I would not approve of a theoretical one. He should be a practical man, who knows how 7to make butter and cheese. 419. Do you think a travelling dairy to teach the farmers would be of service ?—My opinion, which I have always promulgated, is that it would pay the Government to bring out practical farmers from Home, and give them some five or six hundred acres of land to teach the people how to make good butter and cheese. You require to do that before talking of sending butter in quantities to any other country. The great success of the Irish was gained by others showing them how to make butter. These farmers would do more good than all the dairy inspectors in the world, if practical men from either the North of Ireland, or Ayrshire, in Scotland. And give a chance to compete to those who have the nicest place, by offering premiums. The Inspectors of Cork are appointed by the Corporation, which gets the benefit of the money received from the weighing and inspection of butter. In Inniskillen the Inspector is paid by Lord Inniskillen, who is owner of the market, and gets the fees. In Sligo, which is a corporate town, the Inspector is paid by the Corporation. 420. Mr. Mackenzie.] You think our whole system of private dairying is wrong?— Yes, I think so. I have seen a good deal of it. 421. What do you think of the system of inspection taking this form: employing thorough experts to go from district to district ? —You would require that; but my idea is this :By getting a few farmers from Home and placing them in certain districts—-say, one in Palmerston, and one or two in Canterbury, and so on—-they would teach the people how they made butter. I think that would be the best system, and cheaper for the Government. In a district in Ireland called The Glenties, County Donegal, I recollect when they could not make butter; but, through some Scotch farmers coming there, they were able in a short time to compete with them. 422. Failing that system you speak of, what would you think of a plan of bringing out competent men to go from district to district to give instruction ?—I would advise that, failing my theory; but not men to reside in the towns. That kind of instruction depends too much upon theory, which is killing the colony. They should be practical men, knowing how to make butter themselves. 423. What system of salting is best ?—Butter should be salted after coming out of the churn. 424. What quality of salt ?—The finest is Black Horse salt. There is salt made especially for butter in Ireland, but the salt you have here is not too coarse. 425. What percentage of salt ?—Three per cent. 426. Now, as to the kegs ? —You have not got the proper wood for kegs. It would pay the Government to import oak and sell it to the farmers. 427. Import the wood and make it up here?— Yes. 428. At what cost ?—The present price is too high. The coopers have not got a proper system. If a farmer has to buy a keg he has to give Bs. for it—for oak kegs, which w 7 ould hold about 1001b.

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