SALTING TO TAKING FROM PRESS 43 



Dressing cheese. — Too much care cannot be taken 

 in finishing a cheese for market. The appearance 

 greatly influences an intending purchaser. As soon 

 as the cheese is sufficiently pressed, it is taken from 

 the hoop and placed on a dressing-bench. The 

 bandage is pulled up, made free from wrinkles, and 

 trimmed to about one inch on each end with a sharp 

 knife. A starched cap-cloth is placed on each end, 

 outside the bandage. Over these, the cotton cloths 

 are placed, and the cheese is then returned to the 

 hoop, where it is left until the following morning. 

 The cheese should then be taken from the press 

 and examined for imperfections in finish ; if any are 

 present, they should be remedied and the cheese 

 then returned to the press until the hoops are re- 

 quired for use again. It is better to have the cheese 

 in the hoops under pressure for 48 hours than for 

 only 24. 



Plenty of hot water and clean, soft press-cloths 

 should be used to insure a good rind on the cheese. 

 Some cheese-makers place a cotton cloth around 

 the entire side of the cheese. This improves the 

 rind and protects the surface from any dirt or rust 

 marks that may be on the hoops. Others do not 

 take the cheese from the hoops to dress them, but 

 place a starched cap-cloth In the hoop before adding 

 the curd. Then, in dressing, the bandage is pulled 

 up from the top and, after being trimmed, a starched 

 cloth is placed on the upper end. This method 

 causes a greater waste of bandage, but otherwise 

 is satisfactory. The mechanical manipulations in- 

 volved in preparing the hoops and dressing the 

 cheese can be properly learned only froiu actual 

 practice. 



