34 West Country Cheeses. 



rennet is properly made from well-seasoned veils it answers 

 the purpose admirablj'. The quantity of rennet used — that is, 

 rennet of standard quality, such as Hansen's, Fullwood's, or 

 Bland's, or any other make of equal strength — is 1 drm. to 8 or 

 10 gallons of milk, which should be sufficient to get a firm 

 coagulation in from three-quarters to one hour. The rennet is 

 thoroughly stirred into the milk for two or three minutes, when 

 the tub should be covered and the milk left to coagulate. This 

 will take from forty-five to sixty minutes. When the curd is tit 

 for cutting it should split clean when the finger or a thermometer 

 is inserted into it, and a little greenish whey will collect in the 

 fracture. It should then be cut with knives or breaker, and 

 allowed to remain till the whey collects in the fractures and 

 covers the surface. Breaking should then be performed by 

 means of an ordinary shovel breaker. The curd should not be 

 broken too fine or stirred for more than a few minutes after it 

 is broken, as this tends to make the cheese dry and hard. Both 

 the cutting and breaking processes should be perfoi*med very 

 carefully to prevent loss of fat. After breaking, the curd is 

 allowed to settle in the tub and to develop acidity till the curd 

 sufficiently contracts and draws away from the sides of the tub, 

 so that the hand may be inserted between the curd and the tub. 

 A.t this stage it should show from "3 to '35 per cent, acidity. The 

 whey is then drawn off, the curd piled in the tub, and left to drain 

 for about an hour, or it may be removed to the curd cooler, and 

 piled and left to drain. In either case it is not often necessary 

 to turn it in less than an hour. Three turnings of the curd are 

 usually sufficient, when it should be fit for breaking up. It 

 should now show about 'Oo per cent, acidity. 



The curd should be broken with the hands in preference to 

 a mill, so that it will not all be of the same fineness. 

 It should be salted at the rate of \ oz. of salt to each pound of 

 curd. When this is thoroughly mixed, fill into the moulds in 

 coarse cloths, using the small pieces of curd for the outside or 

 coat, and the coarser pieces in the centre. This facilitates 

 drainage and assists in the formation of mould in the middle of 

 the cheese. 



After tilling into the moulds the curd shovild be put into 

 the press and allowed to drain and settle for an hour without 

 pressure, when the cheese should be turned, put in muslin and 

 returned to the press, and pressure gradually applied till about 

 4 cwt. pressure is reached. The following morning the cheese 

 should be turned and the same pressure again applied for about 

 three hours, to get the cheese in good appearance. 



The length of time in press is about eighteen hours, when 

 the cheeses are taken to the loft or curing room, where they are 

 placed on shelves. The shelves should have a groove near the 



