COMPOUND ALIMENTARY SUBSTANCES. 81 



which cheese undergoes are usually connected with the de- 

 velopment of volatile principles from its fatty constituents. 

 In addition, it is sometimes attacked by mould, by the larvae 

 of a peculiar kind of fly, and by the ordinary cheese-mite. 

 The blue mould is thought by many not to injure the qual- 

 ity of cheese, and some even regard the development of 

 skippers and mites as an improvement. Ordinary new 

 cheese is a highly nutritious article, as is evident from 

 its composition, but by many is not very easy of digestion. 

 Old cheese, taken in small quantity toward the close of a re- 

 past, undoubtedly facilitates digestion by stimulating the se- 

 cretion of the fluids, particularly the gastric juice. 



The following is the composition of Cheshire cheese, 

 which many of the American cheeses closely resemble : l 



Composition of Cheshire Cheese. 



Water 85-92 



Nitrogenized matters (representing 4'126 of nitrogen) 25'99 



Fatty matters (representing 41'11 for the cheese desiccated) 26'34 



Salts (by incineration) 4'16 



Non-nitrogenized matters and loss , . . 7*69 



100-00 



The foreign cheeses which those made in the United 

 States most nearly resemble are made in England ; and al- 

 though the real Cheshire, Stilton, and Cheddar cheeses are 

 undoubtedly the best of their kind, they have been very suc- 

 cessfully imitated in this country. 



The French market abounds in delicious varieties of 

 cheese, many of which are fresh and very different from the 

 articles ordinarily used in this country. Their richness and 

 excellence, as indeed the good qualities of all cheeses, depend 

 upon the quantity and quality of their fatty constituents. 

 The fresh Neufchatel cheese contains 8 per cent, of nitrogen- 

 ized matter, and 40 per cent, of butter. 2 Almost all of the 



1 PATEN, op. at., p. 209. 



9 This variety of cheese is very successfully imitated in New Jersey, opposite 

 the city of New York, and is frequently sold as the true imported article. 

 6 



