806 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.JF. [Oct. 2, 1908. 



about the jji^opei- t('iiij)Oraturo to press tln' cuid at. Hi<,'lHM- than 1^2" the 

 fat is readily pressed out and lost. Lower than 78^ the particles of cuid 

 will not adhere in a solid mass. When the temperature is too low — below 

 78 — -the laet ie acid has been iiiiduK' checked, and it is essential in uljtaiiiiii<i; a 

 close-bodief I cheese to have the proper aniount nf acid when the curd is put 

 to press. When that is not present, the chee.se is loose and full of holes; 

 when cut or bored with the trier they show i-ai^^ed openness i-ii(ht through. 

 It is impossible to i)ress a cheese close if tin; teuiperature lias fallen too low 

 and the amount of acid insufficient. When the bandage is put on the hoops, 

 the ends slmuld lie turned in alxiul '1 inches at the bottom of tlie liooj), and a 

 cap put in to cover tlie wliole of the bottom of the hoop. The unstai'cdied 

 seamless bandage is })referable to any other, as it is dillicult to get a proper 

 rind on the cheese with the starched bandage ; it should also be the proper 

 width so that no wrinkles or laps will show on the finished cheese. The 

 same amount of curfl should be placed in each hoop so that each cheese 

 will be of the same size, showing uniformity. When jiutting the cheese to 

 press the pressure should be put on slowly at first and gradually increased. 

 The cheese should remain for an hour, then they should be taken out of the 

 press, the bandage pulled over the ends, the cheese turned and put back in 

 the press. There they should remain with a good steady and continuous 

 pressure on for at least twenty hours. When taken out after the twenty 

 hours have elapsed, they should be wiped dry with a cloth and placed in the 

 cheese- room. The cheese should be turned on the shelves every day so 

 that the rind dries evenly and so that the moisture may not leak towards 

 one end. 



Cheese-curing Rooms. 



JSutKcient attention is not paid b}^ cheese-makers on the South Coast to tiie 

 cheese rooms, which in many places are without insulation, being simply 

 weatherboard buddings, and some are not even lined inside. The loss that 

 takes place through shrinkage must be great, not to say anything about the 

 fat which is dripping from the shelves, in some cases, during the hot summer 

 weather. The one great point in curing cheese is to prevent fluctuation in 

 tem})erature, and the temperature should not rise above 65" Fahr. It is 

 necessary to have the walls with at least 1 foot of insulation. Insulating 

 paper, or malthoid, should be nailed on between the studs and the weather- 

 boards, with a douI)l(! row of studs inside, and paper, oi' malthoid, nailed 

 between tlie studs and lining inside ; the space between the weatherboards 

 and lining should be filled with dry sawdust. The ceiling should be con- 

 structed on the same princijjle, with a ventilator that can be closed or opened 

 going up through the roof, and, should the floor not be of concrete, it should 

 be insulated also. The windows siiould be double and the doors close-fitting, 

 and of the same thickness as the walls. A room hnib on these lines will be 

 found to keep the temperature even, and, consequently, will prevent the loss 

 and shrinkage already referred to, and repay in one season the additional 

 outlay. 



