THE DAIRY. 253 



Addition of Cream or Butter to the Curd. The quality of cheese maybe greatly 

 improved by the addition of cream to the curd, since the greater the proportion of cream or 

 butter in the cheese, other conditions being equal, the richer the quality. The cream should, 

 however, be well mixed with the milk at the time of setting, that the cheese may be uniform 

 in quality. 



Cutting the Curd. When the curd is sufficiently coagulated or hardened in the vat 

 for the separation of the whey, this separation is facilitated by cutting the entire mass into 

 cubes. This is done by running the perpendicular and horizontal curd knives through it, 

 the former across at right angles, thus effectually breaking it up. 



The old-fashioned implement for cutting the curd was a single blade, wooden knife, made 

 in the most clumsy manner. With this the curd was cut into large blocks, and subsequently 

 broken up by the hands, which resulted in considerable labor and a loss of cheese. An 

 improvement on the wooden knife was the breaking of the curd with wire held in a triangular 

 frame. By having the breaker correspond with the cheese tub, and one-half its diameter, 

 no portion of the curd would be broken twice. The next implement for this purpose was the 

 tin breaker, which was followed by the perpendicular and horizontal steel knives now in use 

 in all well regulated dairies. The object is to cut the curd into pieces of desirable uniform 

 size without bruising or crumbling it, as any undue agitation of the mass by rough handling 

 results in a loss of some of the best elements of the cheese. 



Coloring Cheese. 1 It is a fact well known to all butter makers that when cream 

 becomes too warm in the churn, the butter is invariably light colored. The same principle 

 holds true in cheese making, and, as it is necessary to heat the curd to make cheese, this 

 heating process has a tendency to take out the color. Knowing this fact, it would seem that 

 the cheese consumers would prefer cheese of the natural color rather than an artificial 

 coloring, since annatto the only substance used for this purpose adds nothing to the 

 flavor or nutrition of the cheese. 



Pure annatto is prepared from the seeds of the shrub Bixa orellana, which grows in 

 South America and the West Indies. It is soluble in alcohol, ether, potash, and soda, and is 

 regarded as being in no way injurious. But it is frequently adulterated with red lead and 

 other poisonous compounds; and when used, care should be taken to obtain, if possible, the 

 pure, unadulterated article. As long as tliere is a demand for highly-colored cheese in the 

 market, and the consumers are willing to pay a higher price for such, the dairymen will of 

 course furnish the article; but we think it would be better if the practice of artificial coloring 

 were abolished altogether. We would at least advise a toning down of color by the use of 

 considerably less annatto than is indicated by many of the highly-colored cheeses at present 

 seen in the market. 



Salting Curd. The principal object of salting curd is to preserve it in a pure and 

 wholesome condition, although it is an important agent in also fixing the flavor of cheese. 

 Some dairymen prefer to add the salt when the curd is warm, others when it is cold. We 

 are of the opinion that the finest- flavored cheese can be obtained by salting the curd when it 

 is at a low temperature. This is the common practice, strictly adhered to, in all the celebrated 

 dairies of England. We learn from the highest authority that in the manufacture of both 

 the Cheddar and Cheshire varieties of cheese, the maximum temperature of the curds in 

 applying the salt is 75, yet the best quality is made when the .curd is at a temperature of 

 60 or 65. When curd is salted at too high a temperature, it is apt to affect the flavor of 

 cheese injuriously, and also to harden the curd and prevent the free extraction of the whey. 

 The whey should be removed as far as possible before the curd is salted, as there should be 

 no guess work about the quantity to be used. 



Salt is an important agent in ripening cheese, it being found that when little salt is used 



