SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



109 



developed all the good or bad qualities, particularly texture and 

 flavor, which the materials and the process employed are calculated 

 to produce. Like other forms of fermentation, this maybe acceler- 

 ated or retarded by a higher or lower temperature. During the 

 process, and mostly in its earlier stages, there are emanations of 

 moisture and gaseous substances from the cheese which should 

 have free opportunity to escape, because if retained in the room it 

 is rendered damp and oifensive, and the cheese becomes liable to 

 mould and injury. 



Two requisites are chiefly required in a curing-room ; first, a 

 suitable temperature, evenly maintained, and secondly, proper ven- 

 tilation. The temperature to be maintained depends somewhat 

 upon the object sought. If an early market be desired, and the 

 aim is to have the cheese fit to sell in thirty to forty days, the 

 temperature should be as near 75° as possible. If slower ripening 

 be preferred, 70° will serve a good purpose. The great desidera- 

 tum is evenness of temperature, as in this way only can the finest 

 quality be developed ; all fluctuations having an injurious effect. 



Besides attention to temperature and ventilation, the labors of 

 the curing-room involve a frequent turning of the cheese, at first 

 every day. If neglected, the part in contact with the shelf decays, 

 and by degrees the whole would spoil. Both the cheese and the 

 boards need to be rubbed thoroughly, and the cheese occasionally 

 oiled with whey butter. The general practice in Maine is to use a 

 large quantity of butter or lard for this purpose, insomuch that it 

 often flakes off", giving the cheese an untidy appearance. Much of 

 this waste is doubtless owing to the mode of manufacture, which 

 by failing to secure a due separation of the whey, fails also in 

 securing a smooth, firm rind, and in its place we have one which 

 dries and contracts unevenly, and so is far from being smooth. 

 My impression is that three-fourths of the butter and lard used for 

 this purpose in the cheese dairies of Maine might be saved by 

 proper cooking of the curd and sufficient pressure, and a hand- 

 somer and more marketable product be the result. 



In the construction of the curing-room the aim should be to 

 fulfil the conditions above named. A sufficient current of air may 

 be induced by openings which will not cause a direct draft upon 

 the cheese, and which should be arranged so as to be under con- 

 trol ; and by a ventilation at the top. Light is desirable, but the 

 sun must not be allowed to shine upon the cheese. Warmth may 



