EEPOET OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 401 



lias stimulated both, the growth of the creamery system and winter 

 dairying. The creameries making large quantities of butter can and 

 do ship butter in quantity as fast as made, so that it reaches the con- 

 sumer as fresh as possible. For this purpose refrigerator cars con- 

 structed specially for the purpose are almost exclusively used, and 

 in them butter can be shipped long distances in good condition. The 

 introduction of refrigerator cars has extended the dairy, and espe- 

 cially the butter, industry over a large extent of territory that with- 

 out them could not profitably engage in these industries. 



CHEESE MAKING. 



The growth of the cheese industry in the United States dates from 

 the introduction of the cheese factory, a little less than thirty years 

 ago. Up to this time all cheese had been made in private dairies, 

 and what has been said in regard to the quality of private-dairy but- 

 ter was true, in an even greater degree, of the private-dairy cheese. 

 At the present time practically all of the cheese is made in cheese 

 factories, and a very large proportion of them are run on the co- 

 operative plan. 



So long as a full-cream cheese was made our cheese enjoyed an ex- 

 cellent reputation not only at home but abroad, but the practice of 

 skimming has so injured the reputation of our cheese that, seeing 

 their folly, our cheese makers are now urging a return to the making 

 of only full-cream cheese. 



By far the larger part of the cheese is of the variety known as the 

 American Cheddar. It is a cylindrical, flat cheese, of from 40 to 60 

 pounds weight, about 18 inches in diameter and 6 inches thick. 

 There are also a considerable number of a variety known as "Young 

 Americas " made. These are made of the same general shape, but of 

 such, size that five can be packed in the same sized box as one of the 

 ordinary kind. The fancy varieties of cheese are not made to any 

 great extent, but Limburger, Stilton, Edam, Pineapple, and Neucha- 

 tel, Swiss, or cream cheese, are all made in a few factories in isolated 

 localities. Below is given the method taught by the cheese instruct- 

 ors of the New York State dairy commission. It is called the 

 "modified Cheddar process," and is essentially the practice of the 

 best cheese makers throughout the country : 



The milk is placed in the vat and heated from 82 to 84 F., in the 

 warm weather of the summer, and to 86 F., in the cool weather of 

 the fall. If color is to be used it should be stirred in thoroughly be- 

 fore adding the rennet. 



Sufficient rennet is used to coagulate the milk in from twenty to 

 twenty-five minutes and bring the curd into a condition fit to cut in 

 from fifty minutes to one hour. The rennet extract, or powder, on 

 account of uniformity of strength, is considered safest to use, and 

 there is not the liability to taints that there is when makers prepare 

 their own rennet in tubs, jars, etc. The curd is then cut lengthwise 

 of the vat with a horizontal knife. The cutting is begun as soon as 

 the curd will cleave clean from the sides of the vat, or break clean 

 before the finger, or cut without breaking before the knife. It is 

 then cut lengthwise and crosswise with a perpendicular knife. The 

 cutting should all be done as soon as possible after beginning, as it 

 is claimed that if the curd is in proper condition, or, in technical lan- 

 guage, if it is just hard enough to begin on, the quicker it is cut the 

 less waste there will be. If the curd is too hard the knife will break 

 12057 A I 26 



