284 Journal of Agriculture. [8 May, 1907. 



is completed to be in a very fine condition, angular and not rounded but 

 in sharp-edged fragments. When this system is adopted round vats are 

 mostly used, the whey being heated in boilers for the purpose of scalding. 

 The curd is heated up to a temperature of about 160 degrees Fahr. It is 

 then allowed to settle in the bottom of the vat until the whey is ready to 

 draw, when it should be firmly matted together. When the whey is drawn 

 the matted curd lying in the bottom of the vat is cut into foot siquares, 

 turned over and left for five minutes. Each square of curd is now cut into 

 \\\o pieces and taken to the cooler. If the acidity is low these slices 

 are placed close together to keep in the heat, but if the acidity is develop- 

 ing rapidly they are not packed so closely. The curd is turned upon 

 the cooler after 20 minutes, again after 30 minutes and once again before 

 cutting. It is then cut into pieces about 3 inches square, packed closely 

 and covered with a cloth. It is opened up_and turned at the end of 

 30 minutes and again in 40 minutes when it should be readv for grinding. 

 The curd is then milled and left for about two to two and a half hours 

 when it is salted. The curd is vatted at 70 degrees Fahr. 



The Cannon System. 



In this a starter is used in the form of sour whey and rennet is added 

 at a temperature of 84 degrees. Scalding is done in a similar manner but 

 not to such a high temperature as in the Candy system. When the whev 

 is drawn the curd is cut into blocks, about 6 to 8 inches square and piled 

 in the bottom of the vat. It is covered' over with a cloth and left to drain 

 for about ten minutes when the amount of acidity present should be about 

 3 jjer cent. Half of the curd is then taken to the cooler, broken with 

 the hands into small pieces and tied up tightlv in a cloth ; should an 

 excess of acid be present the curd is not tied up immediatelv but allowed 

 to lie about fifteen minutes before doing so. The remaining half is 

 treated in a similar manner and the two bundles are then placed one on 

 top of the other, well covered and subjected to pressure. It is left for 

 half-an-hour, then taken out and cut with the knife into oblong pieces, 

 mixed together, and again tied up in cloth; taken out again after half- 

 an-hour, cut into small pieces and again subjected to pressure. This 

 operation is carried on until the curd is ready to grind. It should then be 

 drv and solid when cut through, leathery and flakv when torn asunder, 

 of good taste and smell and sufficiently acid, showing about 8 per cent, 

 acid in the whev. It has been mentioned that round vats are used but it 

 does not follow that they are essential, in fact the rectangular vat is used 

 in factories where the Cannon system is practised. 



The Joseph Harding System. 



This is one of the oldest methods ; home-made rennet is used prin- 

 cipally and the milk is set at 80 degrees Fahr. An hour is allowed for 

 coagulation, the curd when firm enough is broken on the top and allowed 

 to settle for some time to allow the whey to rise, which is drawn off for 

 the heating process. The curd is then broken into small pieces with shovel 

 breakers. When completely broken as much of the heated whey as suffices 

 to raise the mass to 80 degrees Fahr. is mixed in, bringing the mixture to 

 the same temperature at which the rennet was added. Nothing more is 

 clone for an hour. A few buckets of whev are then remo\-ed, heated and 

 l)oured into the mass. During the pouring in of the whey, the stirring 



