398 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



dispenpaldo. The desirable dof::rrce of uniformity may not always be attainable 

 in practice; but if steadily aimed at with an iiitellij^ent conviction of how much 

 depends upon it, an approximation to it Avill be reached greatly preferable to 

 ordinary practice. 



Ventilation of the curinj»-room if» only less important than a proper temper- 

 ature, for during the process, and especially in its earlier stages, there are 

 emanations of moisture and gaseous substances from the cheese which should 

 have free opportunity to escape, because if retained in the room it is rendered 

 damp and offensive, and the cheese becomes liable to mould and injury. Like 

 other forms of fermentation, the ripening of cheese may be accelerated or re- 

 tarded by a higher or lower degree of temperature. The temperature to be 

 maintain'ed in the curing-room may depend somewhat upon the object sought. 

 If an early market is desired, and the aim is to have the cheese ripe in thirty 

 to forty days, as is customary in Herkimer county, the temperature should be 

 near 75° ; but it may be doubted if a temperature ten degrees lower, while it 

 would require a longer time, would not on the whole be preferable. It is be- 

 lieved by many good judges that a temperature of 65° is warm enough, and 

 more likely than a higher one to result in superiority of flavor. Careful experi- 

 ments, on a sufficiently extended scale, are wanting to determine more nearly 

 than is iudicat(rd above, but experience is uot wantmg to prove that evenness of 

 temperature Avithin the range mentioned is of prime importance. 



In the construction of the curing-room the endeavor should be to fulfil the 

 conditions above named. A sufficient current of air may be induced by open- 

 ings which will not cause a direct draught upon the cheese, and which should 

 be arranged so as to be under control, and by a ventilation at the top. Light 

 is desirable, but the sun must not be allowed to shine upon the cheese. "Warmth 

 may be secured by stoves, but a better mode would be by hot water-pipes pass- 

 ing around the room. Mr. Willard, Avho has the best curing-room 1 have seen, 

 in a note, says : 



" In order to cure cheese properly, so that fl.avor and texture be perfect, nn even tem- 

 perature is all-important. Under our practice of sending cheese to market at thirty to torty 

 days old a temperature of 70'^ to 80-^, in uiy opinion, is about right. It needs air and ligh- ; 

 but if air be admitted through windows so as to strike the cheese, the exposed surface will 

 crack and check, distiguring the rind, rendering it liable to be lost from mites, and always 

 iniuring its sale. When the sun's rays strike directly, it will be unevenly heated, and the 

 rind sometimes almost melted. If the room is damp the cheese moulds uudcT the bandage, 

 presenting an unsightly appearance, and on this account, perhaps, an upper room is most 

 desirable. In our best dairies cheeses are not always of uniform good flavor, on account of 

 curing as the weather varies. This has long been understood, both by buyer and manu- 

 facturer, and though losses are annually sustained, little attention is given to curing-rooms, 

 dairymen not generally understanding how to obviate the difficulty. 



" My cheese is cured in an upper room. The cheese-house is so located in rc^prct to other 

 buildings that a draught of air is mduced around it. Light is admitted at the north and south 

 ends only, so as to prevent the sun's rays striking the cheese directly. Several tiees are near 

 the building, shading the north and east sides. The windows for admitting light are never 

 opened to let in air. The centre of the building is a largo ventilator t(!rmumfiug in a cupola, 

 tlie openings provided with wickets for closing draught or regulating as desuable. In the sides 

 of the buildiug, and even with the floors, are si,\ ventilators or openings, twelve by twenty 

 inches, communicating with the open air, three on each side, and provided with v.ickets to 

 regulate draught ns desired. In this way a draught is secured which does not injure the cheese. 

 In the original p an I proposed to have a refrigerator or ice-box in the room, to be used in 

 case of need for cooling the atmosphere, but thus far have had no use for it, the thermometer 

 at no time quite coming up to 8(J'^. Tho room is lathed and plastered,^ and provided with a 

 stove, so that in cool or damp weather the temperature is kept up by artificial heat. The room 

 operates perfectly in curing cheese." 



; APPARATUS. 



Very much of the ea^e and facility with which the manufacture of cheese 

 may be conducted, and something also regarding the amount of product to be 

 realized, depends on the apparatus employed. 



