Notes on Cheddar Cheese Makhuj. 139 



esi^ential to the proper maturmg of tlie cheese, are washed out, and the 

 only way to prevent it being a bad cheese, is by replacing- the lime 

 salts in the cnrd. Those who recommend washing- the curd also admit 

 that a lot of fat is washed ont, and the cheese thereby reduced in 

 qualit}'. Try to get the cheese into press so that the liquid from press 

 does not show more than TO per cent, acidity. 



If the cheese is soft when taken from the press, it is well to tm-n 

 twice daily for a few days to prevent it going out of shape. It is 

 better matured at a lowtemperature where that can be arranged. It is 

 an old and true saying that a "fast" milk produces a quick maturing 

 cheese, so that it should be got away earlier. It would take too long 

 to discuss all the causes of " fast " and tainted milk here, but there is 

 one point I would like; to direct attention to, ns it may o])en up a 

 field for criticism and discussion. 



Floating Curd- 



A few weeks ago one of our most experienced cheese-makers told 

 me he had floating curd four days in succession, and that he proved it to 

 be caused through feeding green maize to the cattle, as he isolated 

 the milk from a herd where they had just commenced to feed green 

 maize and it produced floating curd. The fifth day the curd was 

 normal and still they were fed on green maize. This makes me think 

 that it was not the maize itself that was directly reponsible^ but 

 careless, dirty milking, as the sudden change from dr\' summer grass 

 to succulent maize would have a purgative effect on the cows, and 

 they would get their tails and flanks dirty, and the dung would find its 

 way into the milk. 



We know that floating curd is the result of the excessive production 

 of gas in the curd by a particular group of bacilli, whose habitat is 

 the intestines of animals, and it is more likely that the germs gain 

 access to the milk direct from the dung, than that the gas goes directly 

 from the food in the stomach to the milk, although we know there is 

 direct connection between the food and the milk. Doctors have been 

 known before to-day to physic an infant through the mother, which 

 shows that what is eaten, to some extent inflnences the milk. There 

 is a large field here for investigation. 



In an article in the Leader a few weeks ago was given an account 

 of some experiments conducted on behalf of the Bath and Southern 

 Counties Agricultural Society, from which conclusions were drawn 

 that gassy curds were caused by germs which did not get into the 

 milk from outside, but directly from the milk ducts in the udder. In 

 Bulletin No. 158 of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment 

 Station are recorded some interesting results. The inquiry was 

 concerning the source of gas and taint producing bacteria in cheese 

 curd, and several new facts were brought out concerning the bacteria in 

 fresh milk. The research demonstrates that bacteria do exist some- 

 times in the milk ducts of the udder itself as well as in the teats, it 

 also shows that several species of bacteria, when once introduced into 



