scattered over it, and the " breaking" continued 

 either by the liands, tlie curd-mill, or both, until 

 the salt is well iulennixed and the curd perfect- 

 ly crumbled. Each portion as it is broken is 

 put into the cheese-vat, in which has first been 

 placed a clean and rather finer cloth than was 

 used for the previous process, an<l the curd is 

 compacted as much with the hands as possible. 

 To admit of the curd being properly pressed, it 

 is necessary to put it into such a vat as it will 

 ovcrJiU by at least two inches. It is also rounded 

 up a Httle in the middle. The cloth is then 

 brought over it and tucked in at the edges of 

 the vat with a small wooden knife or other dull- 

 edged instrument. In order to support the out- 

 side of that part of the curd which is above the 

 vat, and to keep it in proper form when the press 

 is applied, a tin or zinc hoop or '-fillet," the 

 edges of which are rounded off' so as not to cut 

 the cloth, and the ends lapping over and unat- 

 tached, so that the same fillet will do for differ- 

 ent sizes of cheese, is introduced round the in- 

 side of the top of the vat. The "fillet" thus 

 placed sinks with the curd, and having small 

 perforations in it, the emission of the whey is ef- 

 fected through it as through the perforations of 

 the vat. Since it has become the fashion to 

 make Cheshire cheeses thicker than they used 

 to be, it is no unusual thing to see fillets six or 

 eight inches broad. 



The vat is no\v again placed under the screw 

 or lever press, and the skewering is also con- 

 tinued. The pressure is increa.sed at intervals, 

 and the skewers inserted in fresh places to ac- 

 celerate as much as possible the discharge of the 

 remaining whey or " thrustings," as it is now 

 termed. 



In the course of an hour from the time of salt- 

 ing, the curd is taken from under the screw or 

 lever pi-ess and out of the vat, for the purpose 

 of being turned upside down, which is done on 

 a table. In the first place, the angles of that 

 side which was topmost in the vat are cut off"; 

 a circular piece, two or three inches deep, is 

 often also scooped out of the centre, and both 

 are broken small with the hands and rounded 

 up in the middle. The cloth being drawn over 

 the curd, the vat is then turned down upon it, 

 and re-tuniing the vat with the curd in it, the 

 other angles and centre part of the curd are 

 broken in a similar manner : after which the tin 

 fillet is put on, and the screwing and pressing is 

 continued as before for about half an hour or an 

 hour. It will, probably, be two or three o'clock 

 in the afternoon before the curd (or cheese, as it 

 may now be termed) is got under the press ; 

 that is, when it is removed from the screw to 

 the stone press: but where the lever press is 

 used instead of the screw, which, I think, might 

 always be advantgeou.sly done, all the change 

 that will now be required is a little more weight 

 at the end of the lever. 



Before turning the cheese for the purpose of 

 placing it under the press, it is usual to prick it 

 perpendicularly down with a skewer in several 

 places, for the purpose of making drains for the 

 whey, after having been so turned. A clean 

 cloth is applied, and where the lever press is not 

 used the cheese is put under one of the lightest 

 of the other kind. A pressure of six, eight, or 

 ten cwt., according to the size of the cheese, 

 will be suUicieut. This is generally accom- 

 plished by about two or three o'clock in the after- 

 noon. Smaller skewers are now used, and re- 

 main (by removing them occasionally into fresh 



(noo) 



places) until about four o'clock : they are then 

 withdrawn, but the cheese remains half an hour 

 longer undisturbed, to allow the whey to drain 

 from it. It is then, or some time in the evening, 

 turned, a clean cloth is put over it, and the 

 pressing continued, If the lever press be used, 

 the weight may be a little increased. 



On the second day the cheese is generally 

 turned twice or three times ; it is al.so skewered, 

 and clean cloths are used each time of turning. 

 I would observe here, that if any of the cloths 

 are used again before they have been washed 

 and dried in the open air, great care should be 

 taken that they be well scalded. The presses 

 used for at Ica.'ft the two first days, and, if pos- 

 sible, during the whole process, should be situ- 

 ate in the dairj-, kitchen, or some other mode- 

 rately warm place, otherwise the whey will be 

 longer in discharging, and more liable on that 

 account, from the acidity which it soon acquires, 

 to injure the flavor of the cheese. Another ad- 

 vantage of the lever press is, that in cold weather 

 it may be easily moved to a sufficently warm 

 place, which cannot be the case with the com- 

 mon presses. These common presses are chiefly 

 made of one square block of stone fixed in a 

 wooden frame, but are also made of wooden 

 boxes filled with slog or other heavy material. 

 They are generally fixed by the Malls of the 

 dairy, for the purpose of being stayed to them, 

 and being there most out of the way ; when 

 there is not room in the daiiy or kitchen, they 

 are placed in the salting room or pantry, which 

 latter places are often much too cold for the pur- 

 pose, as the whey seldom gets thoroughly ex- 

 tracted when the presses are in cold situa- 

 tions. 



On the third day, the cheese is again turned 

 once or twice, but ought not to require any 

 skewering. The heaviest press is now had re- 

 course to, and for a cheese of 00 lbs. or 70 lbs. 

 weight about 30 art. will be pressure sufficient ; 

 but some dairy-maids apply as much as two tons, 

 their heaviest press being that weight. A 

 cheese-press of this weight, made of a block of 

 red fi-eestone, would be 3 ft. 2 inches long, 2 ft. 

 8 inches wide, and 3 fi. 2 inches high. 



On the fourth day, it is usual in most dairies 

 to discontinue the pressing, but in others it is 

 continued for a day or two longer. 



The cheese is then removed to what is 

 called — 



The Salting and Drying-Hoom. — Some- 

 times these are distinct apartments, but more gen- 

 erally one room suffices for both purpo.-^es. The 

 salt can now, of coui-se, be only applied exter- 

 nally ; and the good, if any, effected is to hard- 

 en the coat of the cheese. The cheese I have 

 before alluded to, as having been made with 

 three-quarters of a pound of .salt, and wliicIiM'os 

 mnch above an average in quality, was re- 

 moved, as an experiment, direct from the press 

 to the cheese-room. I am inclined to think this 

 is the better system, or at least that a great deal 

 of the present labor of the salting-house might 

 be dispensed widi. 



It is, however, only right to state that in most 

 of the dairies of this county the ])ractice of exter- 

 nal salting still obtains. I will therefore de- 

 scribe the process usually adopted. 



The cheese is taken out of the vat, and a 

 strong bandage called a " fillet," about 2 inches 

 broad, and long enough to go three times round 

 the cheese, is used. As this bandage is put on, 

 salt is applied, underneath it, to the coat of the 

 cheese. The bandage is fastened with strong 



