98 REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE OF AYRSHIRE. 



by differences of soil and pastures, of the rennet, of the milk, 

 and of the atmosphere or weather. Cheese-making is an art 

 only to be thoroughly learned — and thoroughly only in some 

 few instances — by a long apprenticeship served to it. Tin; 

 writer was brought up on a cheese- making dairy-farm, and has 

 all his lifetime been going out r nd in about dairies, but although 

 he has thus a pretty fair knowledge of all the details connected 

 with the various processes, he does not imagine for a moment 

 that he could make and turn out (regularly) first-class cheeses, 

 or probably even good second-class. It is one thing to know the 

 theory and details of manufacture, but quite another thing to 

 put these into practice. Few of our farmers themselves could 

 undertake the manufacture by their own hands with much hope 

 of success. It is the women who are the practical cheesemakers. 



The curd being broken down by the mill, is mixed with salt 

 in the proportion of about 1 to 56, and when made up into the 

 cheese-vat, is put to press at once, usually between 2 and 3 

 o'clock p.m. Some change the cheese, late on the evening of 

 first dav as well, but in general it is not removed till morning of 

 second day, treated to a dry cloth, reversed in chessat, and put 

 under pressure again. On the morning of the third day it is 

 similarly removed and treated. And on the morning of the 

 fourth day it is taken out finished, and shelved in the cheese- 

 room, thus occupying three full days in all. Ere placing the 

 cheeses they are bound round with pieces of strong canvass, or 

 other material, as such deep unwieldy lumps as the Cheddars, 

 would quickly bulge out on the sides from their own topweight 

 if not so bound. 



Generally the prepared curd is made up into a cheese shape 

 at a temperature of between 60° and 70° ; and in very warm 

 weather it is often necessary to spread the ground curd on a 

 eold leaden stand to lower the heat. The Cheddar makers 

 mostly use rejincd Cheshire salt, although some of them still 

 continue by the home-made " Saltcoats," and which, indeed, is 

 highly famed far and wide for dairy purposes. The rennet used 

 is similarly made as by the Dunlop makers. Several with 

 whom the writer is acquainted, both Cheddar and Dunlop 

 people, put in only as much " yearnin " to steep each night as 

 serves for next morning; and they can thus depend on having 

 the rennet always sweet, for rancid rennet must tend some- 

 what to hurt the quality of the product. A very small measure 

 of liquid annatto — about h oz. to 100 gallons of milk, more or less 

 in different dairies — is put in to improve (?) the colour of the 

 Cheddars. * Colouring is of any good only as a " trade-mark," 

 but so long as coloured cheese sells better or is in demand — ■ 

 that is, so long as consumers trust as much to their eyes or 

 more than to their mouths, so long, of course, will the practice 



