422 Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. 



me that he thought a crumbly texture was always due to tainted 

 milk. I am equally sure that any cheese made from good normal 

 milk will acquire a crumbly, mealy texture, if the water is allowed 

 to drop much below 30 per cent, and probably even before. 

 The exact minimum amount of moisture a cheese must carry to 

 maintain a perfect texture I am not yet able to state. Of course, 

 a cheese carrying extra fat in proportion to casein would not come 

 under the same rule as average normal cheese. 



As the practical application of these results, attention is called 

 to these points: 



1. At higher temperatures, loss in quality of cheese in curing is 

 marked. Even at a temperature of 70° F. the quality is not main- 

 tained, compared with a temperature of 60° F. or 55° F., especi- 

 ally after the early stage of ripening. During June, July, and 

 August, the temperature in many curing- rooms will average 75° 

 F. or more, and how high it goes at times is limited only by the 

 degree of heat outside and the capacity of boards to absorb and 

 retain heat. Even where the difference of temperature varies so 

 little as 10° or 15° F., say 55° F. or 60° F. and 70° F., we may 

 safely place the commercial difference at a cent a pound after the 

 early stage of curing. This difference would mean ten dollars a 

 day for every 10,000 lb. of milk made into cheese. This con- 

 dition is likely to prevail for two or three months at least ; and 

 when you have to heat the curing-rooms, as many do, with stoves, 

 in the spring and fall, an ideal condition of curing does not pre- 

 vail in respect either to temperature or moisture. 



Higher curing temperatures mean lower quality, less money and 

 less cheese eaten. 



2. With cheese cured at lower temperatures, the curing takes 

 place more slowly, to be sure, but it is improving all the while 

 and acquires the power of long keeping. Long after cheese cured 

 at higher temperatures deteriorates, the other is getting better con- 

 stantly. This is no small advantage, enabling one to hold cheese 

 for better prices, if desired. 



I believe that improvement in quality, made by curing cheese 

 at lower temperatures, will be a very great factor in promoting 

 the consumption of cheese. 



We may try to persuade the American people that cheese is a 

 most economical and concentrated form of food ; we may talk to 

 them about its digestibility; we may use every possible argument 

 to prove to them that they ought to be more sensible and eat more 



