No. 4.] DAIRYING IN FRANCE. L31 



1,000 in the busy season. The buildings are severely plain, 

 many old, and nearly all have one side attached to the cliff. 

 They are of tsvo, three and sometimes four stories, and most 

 of the houses are but one room in depth, as light and air 

 are available only on one side, overlooking the valley. The 

 rocks tower above the little town, 1,000 or 1,200 feet more, 

 like a lofty rear wall, and the face of the mountain has a 

 crescent shape, with this queer settlement clinging to the 

 deepest part of the concave surface, and with a north-east 

 outlook, so that the village experiences a very short clay, 

 and lies in the shadow of the cliffs most of the time. This 

 adds to the sombre, damp and chilly aspect and feeling of 

 the place. 



As often occurs in limestone formations, the mountain 

 behind the town is full of fissures, caverns and passages, 

 and through these caves there are strong currents of cool, 

 moist air, and little streams of water. The temperature of 

 these caves is about 45°, decreasing only a few degrees 

 throughout the year. The water flowing from numerous 

 springs, sometimes passing through dwellings or factories, 

 has just about the temperature that is ordinarily recognized 

 as "ice water." These natural caves and their uniform 

 atmospheric conditions explain the location of this unique 

 town. The circumstances appear exactly suited to the 

 slow-curing process and the growth of the blue mold (Pencil- 

 ium Glaucum) which give the characteristics of the famous 

 cheese of Roquefort. Perhaps it would be more correct to 

 say that these local conditions create or make possible the 

 peculiarities of Roquefort cheese. But the important fact 

 must also be taken into account, that this cheese is made 

 from the milk of ewes instead of cows. The milk of sheep 

 contributes additional peculiarities, being especially rich in 

 fat, abundant in casein and having characteristic flavors. 



Roquefort is said to have been first settled in the time of 

 Charlemagne. It is certain that cheese was made by many 

 peasants in this region, from sheep's milk, in the early cen- 

 turies, and carried to the caves of Roquefort to be finished 

 and cured for market. The history of the industry from 

 the eleventh century to the present time seems to be un- 



