256 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



five or six months the cheese had a very fine flavor, good texture, scarcely any 

 rind and absolutely no mold. 



To study the method of applying the paraffin, the cost of the operation and its 

 economy, some experiments were conducted at the College and at several cheese 

 factories. 



To secure a perfect, permanent and impervious coating over the entire surface, 

 the cheese is dipped for a moment in liquid paraffin. Heretofore the paraffin has 

 been heated by steam or hot w^ater and it has been difficult if not impossible to 

 secure a temperature higher than 200° Fahr. Where the cheese was dipped at this 

 lOM' temperature there was a manifest tendency for the coating of paraffin to crack 

 and even peel off. A double gasoline burner was therefore tried and the tempera- 

 ture raised as high as 2(ib°. Repeated tests at various temperatures seemed to 

 indicate that the best results are obtained between 240 and 250° Fahr. In fact 

 in no case where the dipping was done at these high temperatures, did the coating 

 peel off. 



The experiments show that a thin coat of paraffin is all that is needed. To 

 secure it and to economize material and time, the apparatus illustrated by the cut 

 is suggested. 



