HARD CHEESES. 221 



In their manufacture, after the casein has been precipitated, 

 it is commonly simply ladled out of the curdled milk and, 

 after being placed in special shaped forms, is allowed to 

 drain without being subjected to pressure. The forms in 

 which it is placed usually have false bottoms or sides so that 

 a considerable amount of the liquid may drain off in the 

 course of a few days, .when the material becomes consistent 

 enough to handle. The cheeses are later placed in a ripening 

 room where such a uniform temperature is maintained as 

 experience has shown to be necessary for the completion of 

 the process. Here the cheeses remain until they complete the 

 changes that constitute ripening. Soft cheeses are never 

 made very large, and they usually ripen quickly. They are 

 subject to rapid decay after the ripening process is ended. 

 They are, therefore, consumed quickly after being ripened, 

 and cannot be preserved for such a long time as can the hard 

 cheeses. They are, as a rule, not suitable for export, but are 

 consumed near the locality of their manufacture. They are 

 made chiefly on the continent of Europe, but in recent years 

 the manufacture of some of the soft cheeses has begun in 

 America, and is becoming an industry of considerable 

 importance. 



Hard Cheeses. The manufacture of the hard cheeses, 

 comprising most of the cheeses of the United States (Fig. 

 27, 8), England, Switzerland (Fig. 28), Holland (Fig. 

 27, 4), and some other countries, differs from that of soft 

 cheeses chiefly from the fact that they are hardened by pres- 

 sure which removes a considerable quantity of water, and are 

 sometimes subjected to moderate heat. After the casein has 

 been precipitated by rennet, it is commonly cut into fine bits 

 which allow the liquids or whey to exude from the curd. 

 After this, in the manufacture of some cheeses the whole is 

 subjected to a heat of about 110 F. This heat changes the 

 physical nature of the curd, causing it to become rather 

 tough and elastic. The curd is then removed from the whey, 



