# Low Price of Cheese explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James McIntyre.

## What happens

A short poem addressing the low price of cheese and the farmers' despair, offering hope that prices will rise and milk will flow abundantly.

## Themes in this chapter

### Agriculture and Rural Economy

The poem directly addresses the economic hardship of dairy farmers due to low cheese prices, a key aspect of the rural economy.

## Key lines

> When the price of cheese was so low that the farmers threatened to kill or sell off their cows, we circulated the following lines freely among them: Price soon will rise though now ’tis low And brooks of milk will onward flow, Were they collected in one stream There would be floods of milk and cream.

During a time of very low cheese prices, farmers considered getting rid of their cows. In response, the author shared a hopeful poem predicting that prices would soon increase and that milk would flow abundantly, like a great stream of milk and cream.

_The poem serves as a morale booster for struggling farmers, using vivid imagery of milk and cream to inspire optimism._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se/chapters/low-price-of-cheese
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se/chapters