Cultivation of Grafs Land. Dairying* Slaking of C/ieefe. 54 1 



From the time the vat is firft placed in the prefs, till it is again taken out, does 

 not in common exceed two or three hours. When taken out, the cheefe is put 

 into a veffel with warm or hot whey, in order to hardening its coat or fkin&amp;gt; 

 where it flands for an hour or two ; it is then taken out, wiped dry, and after 

 having remained fome time to cool, is covered with a clean dry cloth ; and the 

 vat being wiped dry, and the cheefe replaced, it is again put into the prefs. In 

 the evening, fuppofing the cheefe to have been made in the morning, which is the 

 common time, it is again taken out of the vat, and another dry cloth being applied, 

 is returned and replaced, what was formerly the upper becoming now the under fide. 

 In this manner it is taken out, wrapped in clean cloths, and turned in the vat twice 

 a-day for two days, when it is finally removed.* Cloths of finer qualities are 

 made ufe of at the different turnings, in order that as little of their impreflion as 

 pofiible may be left on the cheefe. 



Salting. After the cheefe has been at laft removed from the prefs, it is carried 

 to the faking-houfe, and placed in the vat in a tub filled to a confiderable depth 

 with brine, in which it flands for feveral days, being regularly turned once at 1 eaft 

 every day. The vat is then removed from the brine-tub ; and the cheefe being 

 taken out is placed on the falting-bench, where it flands for eight or ten days, fait 

 being carefully rubbed over the whole every day during that period. When the 

 cheefe is of a large fize, it is commonly furrounded with a wooden hoop, or fillet 

 of cloth, to prevent renting. After it is fuppofed to be fufficiently faked, it is 

 \vafhed in warm water or whey, and, when well dried with a cloth, is placed on 

 what is called the drying-bench, where it remains an equal length of time before 

 it is removed to the keeping-houfe or cheefe-chamber. In fornc dairies, the new 

 cheefes are not put in brine, but kept in the vats on the falting-benches ; and after 

 being rubbed with fait, and turned in the vats daily for a week or ten days, the 

 vats are removed, and the cheefes managed as above. In other dairies the cheefes 

 are faked while the operation of prefling is performing. At every time they are 

 taken out of the prefs for the purpofe of being turned in the vats, they are well 

 rubbed with fait, which for fmall thin cheefes, fuch as are commonly made in 

 Wiltmire and Gloucefterfhire, is found to be fufficient; and therefore, when taken 

 for the laft time from the prefs, in place of any more fait .being applied, they are 

 fet at once upon the drying-benches. In fact, the practice of immerging new-made 

 cheefes in brine is only adopted where they are of.fo large a fize that rubbing fait 

 on the outfide would not be fufficient for anfvvering the intended purpofe.t 

 * Donaldfon s Prefect State of Husbandry, vol. III. + Ibid, 



