558 HANDY-BOOK OF HUSBANDRY. 



" The curd remains entirely at rest for twenty minutes, in 

 " order that the whey may separate and rise to the surface. If 

 " the vat is too full for working with comfort, a portion of the 

 "whey is now dipped ofF. Just here, practice differs somewhat. 

 *' Many cheese-makers apply the heat now, and use the knife no 

 " more until increased warmth has hardened the curd to some ex- 

 " tent. In other cases, in what is known as the ' coarse curd sys- 

 *' tern,' the curd is cut scarcely at all, being left in flakes as large as 

 ** the palm of the hand, and nearly as thick. We will confine our 

 "remarks, however, to a description of the medium curd plan. 

 *' After there has been a free separation and rising of the whey, 

 " the agitator is used in carefully turning over the curd, and in 

 " bringing to the surface the larger particles from the bottom. 

 " Then follows the knife with a steady, even motion, going to the 

 " center of the vat only. Two or three times passing around the 

 " vat will bring the particles of curd to the desired size, /. ^., about 

 " the size of chestnuts, or a little larger. If, however, the curd 

 *' be in a bad condition, and inclined to sour, it is cut finer. Just 

 " before the cutting is done, the heat is again turned on, and 

 " gradually the temperature of the entire mass is increased to 88° 

 *' or 90°. It should be gently stirred to avoid packing or lumping, 

 " and to render an evenness of heat more secure. Cheese-makers 

 " who favor strictly fine curds, use the knife freely during this 

 " operation of heating, and bring the curd to the fineness of wheat 

 " kernels. 



" The heat being now shut off, the gentle agitation of the curd 

 " is continued for about ten minutes, or until all disposition of the 

 " curd to pack is past. After remaining at rest for fifteen minutes, 

 " in order that the finer particles of curd may settle to the bottom, 

 "the tin strainer is placed in one corner of the vat, and by means 

 " of the siphon the whey is drawn off until the mass of curd be- 

 " gins to appear above the surface. It is now again carefully brok- 

 " en up and separated, and the heat is once more applied and con- 

 "tinued until the thermometer indicates 96° to 98°. In cold 

 "weather the temperature may be carried to 100° or 102°, but 

 " ordinarily 98° is sufficient. Stirring is continued for about fifteen 



