THE SWISS AND ITALIAN GROUPS 283 



Salting may be done by either the brine or dry method. 

 To prepare a brine bath, add salt to a tank of water 

 until it will float an egg, and add a pailful or more of salt 

 every few days thereafter to keep up the strength. The 

 cheese is then placed in this bath and left for three to five 

 days, depending on the saltiness desired. As the cheese 

 floats with a little of the rind above the surface, it should 

 be turned a few times to insure uniformity of salting. 

 With dry salting, the salt is rubbed on the cheese by hand 

 or with a stiff brush, and any excess carefully wiped off, 

 leaving only a slight sprinkle on the surface to work into 

 the cheese. 



271. Curing Swiss. From the salting-room, the cheese 

 goes to the first one of two curing-rooms, where the unique 

 process of the development of the characteristic eyes 

 takes place. 



During the curing period of either round or block 

 Swiss, constant attention must be paid to the cheese. 

 They must be turned every day at first, and then every 

 second or third day toward the end of the curing period. 

 Also, great care must be taken that no mold starts 

 growing, as it will soon work into the cheese, and 

 spoil its flavor. The best way of preventing mold is 

 by washing the cheese, in either clean or slightly salted 

 water, as often as possible. A stiff brush is mostly 

 used for this. 



The development of the " eyes " or holes is the diffi- 

 cult part of the whole process. It is not known exactly 

 what causes the development, but it is attributed to 

 micro-organisms or enzymes. The gas in these eyes has 

 been examined and found to be carbon dioxide and free 

 nitrogen. Sometimes hydrogen is found. This comes 

 from the original fermentation of the milk-sugar and 



