DAIRYING 153 



Coagulation should be complete in about 

 forty-five minutes from the time of adding the 

 rennet. 



This is done to ensure the expulsion of Cutting 

 the whey, and the thorough contraction 

 of the casein. Great care should be exercised 

 in cutting the curd, which is extremely 

 tender at this stage, otherwise a great loss 

 of fat will be the result. It is cut twice with 

 the horizontal knife, and twice with the 

 vertical. These knives consist of a number of 

 steel blades arranged in a frame ; in the one 

 case the blades are placed horizontally, and 

 in the other vertically. 



The horizontal knife is usually put through 

 first in a longitudinal direction. These knives 

 cut the curd into cubes about f of an inch in 

 diameter, though the size of the cube is 

 regulated somewhat according to the amount 

 of acidity present. Curd in which there is 

 much acidity is cut smaller than a sweet one. 

 After cutting, allow the curd to stand for 

 from two to three minutes, so that each little 



