DAIRY MANAGEMENT, THE MILK TRADE, ETC. ' lOl 



requisite to make the bulk of the whey run off in a perfectly- 

 clear state. The curd now collected in one mass is rapidly 

 cooled, cut across into large slices, turned over once or twice, 

 and left to drain for half an hour. As soon as it is tolerably 

 dry, it is placed under the press, and most of the remaining 

 whey is removed by pressure. After this the cheese is broken, 

 first, coarsely, by hand, and then by the curd mill, which 

 divides it into small fragments. A little salt should now 

 be added and thoroughly mixed with the curd. The next 

 operation is vatting. The cheese vat, carefully filled with 

 the broken and salted curd, is covered with a cloth ; the 

 curd is reversed in the cloth, put back into the vat, and 

 placed in the press. The cheese cloth should be frequently 

 removed, and the cheeses are ready to leave the press on the 

 sixth morning. 



This is the process according to the Cheddar sj'stem. If 

 carried out as described, and after treatment carefully attended 

 to, viz., the turning and wiping of the cheeses and the main- 

 tenance of the cheese-room at a temperature of about 62° F., 

 the result will be a well-made edible cheese, varying as to 

 quality according to the richness of the milk and the care 

 which has been taken in its manufacture. 



The cheese tub or vat now generally preferred and used 

 throughout Cheshire is rectangular and running on wheels, 

 and sometimes on a tramway. It is on the American principle, 

 and is lined for heating or cooling with either steam or water. 

 Before using rennet — and all makes differ in strength — an 

 experiment should be made to ascertain the quantity required 

 to bring the curd from a given volume of milk in a given time, 

 a finely graduated measure being used for the purpose. It 

 must always be remembered that the quantity of rennet used 

 is in an inverse ratio to the time the milk is set for curd; 

 thus, to bring curd in half an hour, double as much rennet 

 would be required as though the curd were brought in an 

 hour. 



The principal British cheeses of Great Britain are the 

 Cheddar, the Cheshire, the Derby, Leicester, G-loucester, 

 Dunlop, and the Stilton. Of foreign cheeses, those chiefly 

 appreciated in England are the Gruyere, the Dutch, Gor- 



