178 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



tank of salt brine, made by dissolving common salt in 

 water in the proportion of about 1 pound of salt to 2| 

 quarts of water. Each cheese is turned once a day and 

 should be left in the brine seven or eight days. When 

 the cheese is taken from the salting mold or salt bath, it 

 is placed in warm water and given a vigorous, thorough 

 brushing in order to remove all slimy or greasy substances 

 that may have accumulated on the outer surface. When 

 the surface is well cleansed, the cheese is carefully wiped 

 dry with a linen towel and placed upon a shelf in the cur- 

 ing-room. In being put on the shelves, the cheeses should 

 be placed in contact so as to support one another, until 

 they have flattened out at both ends so much that they 

 can stand upright alone. Then they are moved far 

 enough apart to allow a little air space between them. 

 Another method of securing the flattened ends is to sup- 

 port each cheese on opposite sides by wedge-shaped pieces 

 of wood. After being placed on the shelves in the curing- 

 room, they are turned once a day and rubbed with the 

 bare hand during the first month, twice a week during the 

 second month and once a week after that. When any 

 slimy substance appears on the surface of the cheese, it 

 should be washed off at once with warm water or sweet 

 whey. The special conditions of the curing-room will 

 be noticed in detail below. When the cheeses are about 

 two months old, they can be prepared for market in the 

 following manner: They are first made smooth on the 

 surface by being turned in a lathe or in some other manner, 

 after which the surface is colored. For coloring, some 

 carmine is dissolved in alcohol or ammonia to secure the 

 proper shade, and in this color-bath the cheeses are placed 

 for about one minute, when they are removed and allowed 

 to drain, and as soon as they are dry the outside of each 



