282 DAIRYING. 



The curd is then cut, using the horizontal knife first and 

 cutting lengthwise of the vat. The cutting is finished from 

 this point with the perpendicular knife, the curd being 

 thus cut into cubes one half inch in diameter. 



Without waiting for the curd to settle, we begin stirring 

 very carefully with a wire basket, and rub the curd off from 

 the sides of the vat with the hand. As soon as this is done 

 we turn on the heat carefully and raise the temperature 

 slowly to 98° F. ; when the curd is firm enough a wooden 

 rake is used to stir it. The temperature is raised at the 

 rate of one degree in four or five minutes. 



As soon as the temperature of 98° F. is reached we begin 

 trying the curd on the hot-iron for acid. We must have the 

 curd firm enough when the whey is drawn, so that a double 

 handful pressed together will fall apart readily. This is 

 the test for a proper cooking. When fine threads one 

 eighth of an inch in length show on the hot iron the whey 

 is ready to draw. This should be two and a half hours 

 from the time the milk was set. The whey is drawn off by 

 means of a whey gate and a whey strainer, and the curd 

 dipped into a curd-sink or on racks placed in the vat. 

 There should be racks in the curd-sink over which a linen 

 strainer-cloth is thrown. The curd is dipped onto this 

 cloth and the whey drains through. The curd should be 

 stirred, to facilitate the escape of the whey, and is then left 

 to mat together. In fifteen or twenty minutes it can be cut 

 into blocks eight or ten inches square, and turned over. 

 After turning several times these blocks can be piled two 

 or three deep. The acid will continue to develop in the 

 curd ; when it will string about an inch it will have as- 

 sumed a stringy or meaty texture, so that it will tear like 

 the meat on a chicken's breast. 



It is then run through the curd-mill and cut up into small 

 pieces. These pieces are stirred up every little while to air. 

 In the course of another hour and a half there will be two 

 inches of acid on the curd ; it will smell like toasted cheese 

 when pressed against the hot-iron, and when a handful is 

 squeezed, half fat and half whey will run out between the 

 fingers. It is then ready to salt. It is cooled to 80° F. be- 



