46 Thibty-Fifth Annual Report of the 



cess, and they are the temperature and the moisture in tlic air 

 of the curing room. One is as important as the other. We 

 have not been accustomed to pay much attention to the relative 

 humidity in connection with the curing of our cheese. In the 

 ordinary curing room where the temperature is about even with 

 that of the outside air, there is not often any exqess of moisture. 

 Indeed it is more often too dry, causing the cheese to shrink ex- 

 cessively, and to show cracked surfaces in extreme cases : but 

 when the air is reduced in temperature from lo to 20 degrees, 

 as it is ini a cool curing room, the relative humidity is increased 

 very much. Then again in an ordinary curing room the circula- 

 tion of air that brings in heat also removes the moisture which 

 escapes from the cheese and which is represented by the loss in 

 weight. It is obvious, therefore, that the insulation of the 

 walls necessary to a proper control of temperature by stopping 

 all circulation or passage of air must result in an accumulation of 

 moisture unless some special means are employed to remove it. 

 It is not sufficient to secure a reduction of temperature alone. 

 Without removal of the moisture the excessive growth of mould 

 cannot be prevented and the surfaces of the cheese are liable to 

 be "soft" and show early decay. It is for this reason that it is 

 recommended to have an ice chamber in connection with the 

 curing room, to promote a circulation of air. The air passing 

 over the ice is chilled, dried and purified before returning to the 

 curing room. With such a system installed the air can be kept 

 perfectly sweet and dry enough without any further ventilation. 

 If the building is well insulated and is provided with a cement 

 floor the temperature will not go above 60 degrees except in very 

 warm weather, but it Avill not do to depend on that alone. 



THE GROWTH OE MOULD ON COOL CURED CHEESE. 



Some difficulty may be experienced at first in preventing the 

 growth of mould on the cheese in' a cool curing room. If the 

 cheese are kept for a few hours, sav over one n<ight, in a dry 

 place at ordinary temperatures, the surfaces become dry and 

 there is very much less tendency to mould when they are placed 

 in the cool room. Provision should be made for handling the 

 cheese in this way. The cheese shelves should be thoroughly 

 cleanjcd and disinfected with formalin every time they are emp- 

 tied. When new shelves are procured it is an excellent plan 

 to give them a good coat of boiled linseed oil put on hot. This 

 prevents the wood from absorbing the moisture from the cheese 

 and thus encouraging the growth of mould. The whole interior 

 of the curing room, including ceiling, walls, floors, posts, and 

 shelving, should be thoroughly scrubbed every spring with .?. 



