New York Agricultural Experlment Station. 253 



cheaply constructed, could not produce first-class cheese. Good 

 cheese was still made by the masters of manufacture; but the 

 tendency of the entire output was toward deterioration in qual- 

 ity. This means lessened consumi)tion and lower prices. 



These conditions still prevail to too great an extent, though 

 decided efforts have been made within the past few years, and 

 with some success, to restore New York cheese to its position 

 as the standard of quality in the great markets. The object of 

 the Station in publishing this bulletin is to point out at least 

 one weak point in the system of cheese handling as at present 

 conducted and to suggest a possible practical improvement. 



EXPERIMENT IN CURING CHEESE. 



GEiNERAL CONDITIONS. 



Believing that it would be easy to demonstrate faults in the 

 present system of curing, we have carried on quite extended 

 work along this line. Conditions have been so arranged that 

 cheeses made practically alike could be cured at the tempera- 

 tures secured under average factory handling and at much lower 

 temperatures. Experiments made elsewhere^ on a laboratory 

 scale indicated that keeping the cheese comparatively cool dur- 

 ing the time of curing would give a better product; and com- 

 parison of the many cheeses in our tests, cured at different tem- 

 peratures, establishes the fact beyond doubt. 



Making the Cheese. 



The foundation of good dairy products is a healthy cow, in 

 sanitary surroundings, well fed, and well cared for, yielding her 

 milk to a clean milker, into clean utensils. These essentials we 

 sought to secure, then aerated and cooled the milk in good, pure 

 air as soon as possible after milking, and kept it till needed in 

 a cool, clean place. In making the cheese the following method 

 was used: As soon as the milk is received in the morning it is 

 heated to 84° and then tested for acidity, using the Marschall 



»Wis. Agr. Exp. Sta. Ann. Rpt, 1897, p. 194. 



