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cold weather. The milk-buckets are immediately emptied into Inr^e 

 wooden vessels, which are carried to the factory on the shoulders of 

 porters by means of flexible poles. The milk, which is seldom heated, 

 is immedisjtely strained into large vats holding about 30 gallons each, 

 and treated with rennet. The writer thinks that the excess of coagu- 

 lable matter produced by the copious infusion of rennet accounts for 

 the sharp taste of the cheese-product. 



In about an hour the curd, having acquired proper consistence, is 

 cut with a wooden blade, called mesadou, and then worked upon a small 

 round board, pierced with holes, with a sort of staff or club, called me- 

 nole, in order to expel the whey. By slow manipulation a larger quan- 

 tity of cheese is obtained, but, according to common opinion, at some 

 sacrifice of quality. The curd is then placed in a large, shallow wooden 

 vessel, {faisselle,) with holes in the bottom and sides, and the operator, 

 with pantaloons drawn half-way up the thigh, presses it with naked hand 

 and knee, in order to eliminate the last remnant of whey, the animal 

 heat of the body imparting a special quality to the cheese. M. Durand 

 has been persuaded to substitute a more rational process for this rude 

 and primitive one, which in some cheese-farms of that region is carried 

 to a disgusting extreme; the workman, entirely nude, impresses his 

 inferior and posterior muscles upon the curd. 



The curd, divided into cakes, after the last-named operation, is sub- 

 jected for twelve hours to the action of a press, and then allowed to fer- 

 ment for thirty-six hours in the cellar, where they enlarge in volume, 

 showing, like bread, an immense number of interior cavities. They are 

 then brought out and placed upon a low table, (selle,) made of a single 

 piece of wood, creased through the middle with a slight slope and small 

 trench, which carries off the final dHppiug. The workman then breaks 

 up the cake into small bits, first with a heavy club, and then with his 

 hands. This is for the purpose of salting the cheese, which is then again 

 worked up, placed in a mold, and again subjected to i^ressure. The 

 mold is composed of three parts : 1, the faiselle, or shallow wooden 

 vessel, before mentioned ; 2, the feuille, a strij) of beech-wood, 12 to 16 

 inches wide, bent into a cylinder; 3, the fjuirlande, a band 2 or 3 inches 

 wide, encircling the mold. The cheese having received the permanent 

 impress of the mold is remanded to the cellar, but it is continually cared 

 for till the time of its delivery. When a mouth old, it is sold by whole- 

 sale at 1.20 francs per kilogram, or nearly 11 cents per pound, to the mer- 

 chants of Marjevols, who send it to retailers of Paris and of Southern 

 France. 



The writer, on the whole, thinks M. Durand's system is the best for 

 utilizing the natural pastures upon the heights of Lozere. The breed of 

 cattle employed is the Vendeen, improperly called the Aubrac, breed. 

 The animals are selected while calves, and raised by the proprietor. 

 Their excellence is attested by one hundred and forty prizes taken by 

 them in the regional agricultural fairs. 



Water-supply of the Suabian Alps. — From a memorial prepared 

 for the Vienna Exposition of 1873 the following facts are condensed : 

 The Suabian A\])S form a table-land 3,000 feet above sea-level, with a 

 southeastern slope, broken up in terraces and occasional deep valleys. 

 A few beech forests are almost the only natural vegetation ; bare and 

 ston^' fields greet the eye, relieved bj" scattered straw-roofed hamlets, 

 inhabited by genuine Suabian peasants, who adhere sturdily to their 

 antique customs. The name of Bauer (cultivator) is aristocratic, and 

 only applied to those who own four horses ; he that has two or less is a 



