262 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



with good cleaning solution and scalded with hot water 

 whenever they become greasy or moldy. 



Some means should be provided for regulating the 

 temperature and humidity of the curing-room. In most 

 factories this is accomplished by opening the doors and 

 windows at night to admit the cool air and closing 

 them in the morning to keep out the hot air. Care 

 should be taken to keep the doors and windows closely 

 secured. The windows should have shades to keep out 

 the sun. If the room becomes too dry, the floor may be 

 dampened with cold water. 



The length of time in the curing-room depends on how 

 often shipment is made to some central warehouse or to 

 the market. This usually varies from two to six weeks. 



When the surface of the cheese becomes dry and the 

 rind is well formed, the cheese may be paraffined. It 

 usually requires four to six days after cheeses are taken 

 from the hoop before they are ready for this process. 

 The object of paraffining is to prevent the escape of mois- 

 ture and to keep the cheese from molding. 



248. Evaporation of moisture from the cheese during 

 ripening. The losses due to evaporation while the 

 cheeses are curing are a considerable item. The rate of 

 evaporation depends on the temperature and humidity 

 of the curing-room, the size of the cheese, the moisture- 

 content and protection to the surface. 



Table XIX 1 shows the effect of size of cheese and 

 temperature of the curing-room, on losses while curing. 

 This table shows that the evaporation of moisture is 

 more as the size of the cheese decreases and the tempera- 

 ture is increased. This is probably due to the fact that 



1 Van Slyke, L. L M et al., Cheese ripening at low temperatures, 

 N. Y. (Geneva) Exp. Sta." Bui. 234, 1903. 



