CHEESE-MAKING. 



259 



keeping qualities, I regard as a very great improvement over the 

 swill butter made somewhere on the road between the cheese vat 

 and the pig pen. 



The cream having been disposed of in some way, and the milk 

 at the temperature of 84 deg., the coloring matter should be added 

 in just such quantity as the consumers demand. Unless the an- 

 natto is well dissolved and thoroughly stirred into the milk, the 

 cheese, when cut, will present a mottled appearance, which is 

 altogether worse than if uncolored. 



If the cheese is to be kept a year or more, add sufficient rennet 

 to coagulate milk in about fifty minutes ; but if it is intended for 

 early use, a sufficient amount of rennet should be used to coagu- 

 late it in from thirty to forty minutes. 



The rennet must be thoroughly stirred into the milk to insure 

 its action upon the whole mass at the same time. 



As soon as the curdled milk will break clean when the finger is 

 dipped into it and raised up in a horizontal position, it is ready to 

 cut. Now if the curd could be cut into cubic blocks one half inch 

 in size at a single operation the best results would be obtained, 

 but as no way of doing this has yet been discovered it must be 

 done with a knife requiring as few motions and with as little 

 friction as possible, for all crushing and bruising of the curd at 

 this stage of the process will cause waste. 



This fact should be kept in view during the entire process of 

 cheese-making: That if there is any waste the butter is invariably 

 the part lost. 



After the curd has become somewhat firm, and settled about one 

 seventh of its depth below the surface of the whe} T , heat may be 

 applied gradually until the temperature is raised to 90 degs. 



If the heat is equally distributed very little stirring will be 

 necessary, only enough to prevent the curd from settling in a 

 mass on the bottom of the vat, and if any stirring is to be done 

 while the curd is soft and tender it should be done with the utmost 

 care, and the whey should all be left on, as the curd will move 

 with less crushing in a large quantity of whey. As soon as the 

 curd becomes of sufficient firmness, so that it may be gently stirred 

 without waste, the whey may be drawn down to near the surface 

 of the curd, and the heat raised to 98 degs. or 100 degs., and 

 maintained at about this temperature until the cooking or scald- 

 ing process, as it is called, is completed. This is determined by 

 the condition of the curd, in the following manner : Take a hand- 



