258 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



the temperature of the milk, and condition of the atmosphere for 

 its separation. This cream receives different treatment from our 

 best cheese-makers, for the reason that no one of them is able to 

 again incorporate it in the milk and retain any considerable pro- 

 portion in the cheese. 



Some dairymen mix this cream with the milk by thinning it with 

 new milk and then passing it through the strainer back into the 

 vat before adding the rennet. 



This method requires the least labor of any, but if the whey is 

 to be fed to the hogs, the labor of thinning and straining may be 

 saved by turning the cream directly into the pig trough. Others 

 add the rennet before returning it to the vat, upon the supposition 

 that the rennet, acting upon the cream before it is stirred into the 

 milk, will hold it in the curd. 



Again, other cheese-makers reduce the cream to about the con- 

 sistency of milk, by the addition of water at the temperature of 

 70 deg., then add the rennet before stirring it into the milk. 

 This has enabled me to retain a greater percentage of the cream 

 in the cheese than any other method I have yet tried. But the 

 bad effects produced on the cheese by the addition of water to 

 thin the cream, is greater than the advantage gained by the small 

 amount of cream retained. 



A trial of several years to retain the cream in the cheese by a 

 variety of methods, led me to the conclusion that if the cream 

 was firm when taken from the vat, no considerable portion of it 

 could be saved in the curd by the action of rennet ; the greater 

 portion of it would separate itself from the curd while in the vat, 

 or press, and float off on the surface of the whey. 



The continual failures to save the cream in the cheese, led me 

 to adopt the practice of churning the cream sweet, and of using 

 the buttermilk for cheese, and the butter for family use. 1 have 

 come to the conclusion, therefore, that by using the agitator 

 during the hot weather, and by churning the cream sweet during 

 the cool weather, that nearly all the cream can be saved. 



With my former practice I have made during the summer season 

 over a barrel of whey butter in addition to that used for greasing 

 cheese ; while with the latter I have often failed to make one-half 

 whey butter enough to use on the cheese ; and by careful esti- 

 mates I have found the net saving some weeks as much as two 

 dollars, besides having very nice, new butter for family use. 

 This butter made from sweet cream, although not possessing long- 



