402 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



tory, and a history, too, that carries us back to the days when 

 the world was young. David, the son of Jesse, carried ten 

 cheeses to the captain of his brethren, when he, a mere strip- 

 ling, went out, single-handed, to fight the great Philistine, and 

 lay his pride in the dust. More than three thousand years ago, 

 Job said : " Hast thou not poured me out like milk, and curdled 

 me like cheese ?" — indicating, thus, his knowledge of the article 

 as then existing. Frequent mention is also made of it in old 

 Latin authors. In coming to their work, your committee felt, 

 therefore, that they had to do with that which is venerable in- 

 deed, having descended to us from generations far away and 

 buried, and through the lapse of centuries long gone, and they 

 tried to feel something of the reverence that became them in 

 the presence of the survivor of so many buried generations 

 and centuries. 



3. We made inquiry into the chemistry of cheese. In answer 

 to our inquiries, our most worthy friend, " The Progressive 

 Farmer," gave us all needed information, as he has done on 

 most other matters connected with "practical agriculture." 

 We learned from him that about four per cent, of milk is sugar ; 

 that if the milk be kept for some time in a warm place, its 

 coagulable part acts upon the sugar, and changes some portion 

 of it into what is termed lactic acid, and that the soda, which 

 is one of the substances contained in milk, and whose office it 

 is to hold the curd in solution, is acted upon by the acid above 

 mentioned, so that its alkaline power is neutralized, whereupon 

 the curd immediately appears in the form of curdled milk, 

 which, when pressed, forms a kind of cheese. As this process 

 of cheese-making would, however, be slow and inconvenient, 

 and, withal, would not secure cheese of a good quality, it is 

 common to make use of some other acid than that generated 

 in the milk, in order to neutralize the soda, and destroy its 

 power. For this purpose, an animal acid is used, called rennet. 

 This is taken from the stomach of the sucking calf, where its 

 office is the same as that to which the cheese-maker puts it, 

 viz., to curdle the milk taken from the cow. The milk thus 

 curdled is more digestible. For any further information, we 

 refer to our friend, the " Farmer," of wliom, we trust, all other 



