398 EXPFRIMENT STATION RECORD. 



g(>.sti()HH are iiiiule concerning tlio care of filters. The cost of i>asteuri/,ation of l)oth 

 milk and wash water was estimated at 0.1 ct. per pound (if butter i)ro<lu--ed, not 

 including the cost of the necessary apiwiratus. 



The cold curing' of cheese ( T. ,S'. Dcpt. Agr., Bureau of Auiinul IiKhixtnj Bui. 40, 

 pp. ^8, pis. 4, .1^9^- ~~)- — This is a report ujjon experiments conducted by the Wis- 

 consin and New York State stations under the auspices of the Dairy Division of the 

 Bureau of Animal Industry. 



Introduction, II. E. Alvord (pp. 7-10). — The experiments which have been made 

 in curing cheese at lower temperatures than usual are referred to, and the conditions 

 and objects of the present work are briefly set forth. "While the main purpose was 

 to test under commercial conditions the effect of cold curing upon the quality of 

 clieese, data were also secured concerning loss in weight during curing and the use 

 of paraffin in coating cheese. In the experiments conducted by both stations the 

 cheese was cured at temperatures of 40, 50, and 60° F. The following general con- 

 clusions are drawn from the two series of experiments: " The loss of moisture is less 

 at low temperatures, and therefore there is more cheese to sell. The commercial 

 quality of cheese cured at low temperatures is better, and this results in giving the 

 clieese a higher market value. Cheese can be held a long time at low temperatures 

 without impairment of quality. By utilizing the combination of paraffining cheese 

 and curing it at low temperatures the greatest economy can be effected." 



The 'western experiments, S. M. Babcock, H. L. Bussell, and U. S. Baer (pp. 11-70). — 

 The cheeses used in these experiments were purchased from factories in Wisconsin, 

 Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan, and represented various types, grouped for convenience 

 as follows: (1) Close-bodied, firm, long-keeping type, suitable for export trade; (2) 

 sweet-curd type; (3) soft, open-bodied, cjuick-curing type, suitable for early con- 

 sumption. The cheeses were made with uniform quantities of rennet and salt and 

 were shipped to Waterloo, Wisconsin, where they were placed in cold storage at 

 temperatures averaging 36.8, 46.9, and 58.5° F. Representative cheeses were exam- 

 ined at intervals by a jury of commercial experts, their scores being supplemented 

 by scores made much more frequently by U. S. Baer. The data are rejjorted in full 

 in an appendix, and also smnmarized in the text. 



As regards loss in weight, the results show that cheese cured at 50 to 60° lost 

 fully three times as much in 90 days as cheese cured at 40°. Under prevailing fac- 

 tory cronditions it is believed that cheese loses fully four times as much in a period 

 of 20 days as was lost during the 90-day period in cold storage. -Cheese of type 1 lost 

 much less in weight than cheese of the softer types. At 40° the loss in weight was 

 practically independent of the size of the cheese, this result, however, being attrib- 

 uted to the relative humidity of the curing room, which at that temperature was 100 

 per cent. At higher temjierature the loss in weight increased as the size of the 

 cheese decreased. The shrinkage in cheese coated with paraffin and cured at 60° 

 was more than 50 per cent less than that of uncoated cheese cured at the same tem- 

 perature. At 40° coated cheese lost slightly more in weight than uncoated cheese. 

 The loss in w'eight of cheese is not believed to be due wholly to loss of moisture. 



As regards the quality of the cheese the results on the whole were decidedly in 

 favor of cold curing. The typical Cheddar cheese constituting type 1 being manu- 

 factured nearer to the curing station afforded the best test of the influence of tem- 

 perature. The cheese of this type ripened at 60° developed faster than cheese at 

 the lower temperature and was of excellent quality, but eventually it was surpassed 

 by the cold-cured cheese. As regards keeping quality, cold-cured cheese was far 

 superior to that ripened at the higher temperature. The quality of the cheese was 

 not affected by the use of paraffin. 



"The production of a thoroughly broken-down Cheddar cheese of mild, delicate 

 flavor and perfect texture meets a demand which is impossible to satisfy with cheese 

 cured at high temperatures. Without any question, if the general market can be 



