DAIRY. 137 



time after being made. Such is the cream cheese, 

 and the cheeses of Viry, Mont Didier, and Mont 

 d'Or. 



3d. Those which have been deprived of their se- 

 rosity by means only of compression. Such are 

 the cheeses of Holland, of Cantal in France, &c. 

 And, 



3d. Those to which have been applied, not only 

 the action of the press, but of fire. Such are the 

 cheeses known by the name of Gruyere, Parmesan, 

 and Cheshire.* 



Of these different species it is our intention to 

 speak only of the second and third, because these 

 form the cheeses of commerce, and have most con- 

 nexion with the public interest. 



Turning the milk, which is the first step in the 

 process, may be effected by many different sub- 

 stances, such as vegetable acids and astringents ; 

 but the matter generally, if not universally employ- 

 ed, is either the second stomach of the calf or its 

 contents, which are called rennet. A portion of 

 either put into the milk, which must be left in a 

 state of repose, will in a few hours produce the de- 

 sired separation. The quantity of rennet employed 

 is not, however, a matter of indifference. If too 

 much be used, the curd will remain in parcels, with- 

 out consistency, and altogether deprived of the 

 cream of the milk. If, on the other hand, the quan- 

 tity employed be too small, the separation of the 

 curd from the serum will not be complete. The 

 exact quantity necessary is an affair of experience, 

 which only a number of trials on different portions 

 of milk enables one to regulate and adjust. A cir- 



* The Schabzieger (cheese made in Switzerland) is of a dif- 

 ferent kind. Instead of the curd, the Swiss employ the sedi- 

 ment of the serum, and macerate in it a few of the leaves, stems, 

 or seeds of the trifolium oderatum, or blue clover. It is this 

 which gives to the Schabzieger its peculiar and highly aromatic 

 taste and smell. 



M2 



