Oct. 2, 1908.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W, 



801 



not take the trouble to use a test at all, depending simply on their sense of 

 taste and smell. The latter is, however, a careless and indifferent method, 

 and the rennet test is recommended, as much finer work can be done if the 

 test is carefully manipulated ; and in the careful use of the rennet test lies 

 the secret of uniformity in any factory's output. 



The Use of Racks in the Vat. 



There is one thing I would like to draw the attention of cheese-makers to, 

 and that is the use of racks in the vat in preference to the use of a drainer 

 or cooler. Very few [places that 

 use the cooler have, as a rule, 

 taps in the vat to whev off liv, 

 but draw off the whey by means 

 of a syphon. Now, I have never 

 yet seen a .'^yphon that could be 

 kept thoroughly clean, and every 

 syphon that I have looked into 

 had a thick yellow slime where 

 the pipe is bent round. Then 

 ■again, the drainer is made of 

 wood, and the difficulty in keep- 

 ing it clean is apparent, as evei'y 

 seam of the wood h(>lds mateiial 

 for contamination, whilst the 

 cloth that covers the curd in the 

 cooler is resting on the cuixl, and 

 in many cases it is not too clean. 

 It would be much better to have 

 a tap in the vat to draw off the 

 whey, and a neat fitting rack to 

 cheddar the curd on — one that 

 can be taken out and placed in 

 the wash-up tub and scrubbed ; 

 and also, have a white canvas 

 covering attached to battens to 

 cover the whole of the vat, and 

 which would never at any time 

 come in contact with the curd. 



Fig. 4. 



-AJsmall Cooler and Starter-can for 

 preparing Starter. 



The Technique of Cheddar Cheesemaking. 



The night's milk and morning's milk are mixed together in the vat, and 

 the temperature I'aised to 86° Fahr. to find out the ripeness of the milk. To 

 see whether it is ready to add the rennet, we have two tests, the rennet test 

 and the alkali test, — either of these are fairly reliable if carefully taken. 

 In taking the rennet test you are not testing the strength of tlie rennet, but 

 finding out how fast the lactic acid is developing in the milk. 



