COLORING. SWEET MILK CHEESE. 339 



needed here to get the right quantity of salt and the 

 right time, that the cheese may receive a suitably firm 

 crust or rind. 



When the cheese in the salt-trough is sufficiently 

 salted, it is put over a large tub, where it is properly 

 washed in cold, fresh water, trimmed with a cheese-knife, 

 and colored. For coloring, annatto boiled in water with 

 some potash is used. After the coloring the cheese is 

 rubbed with the beistings, or first milk of a cow newly- 

 calved. The spice cheese gets its red color and firm, 

 smooth rind in the coloring and washing in the beist- 

 ings ; and this distinguishes it from other sorts. 



The colored cheeses are now laid upon shelves made 

 for the purpose in the cow-stall used as a cheese-room, 

 and turned daily till properly dried. When dry they 

 are laid for sale in a cheese or store room. This room 

 is connected with the house, or separated from the 

 other rooms only by a thin board partition. This room, 

 as well as the cow-stall, is kept extraordinarily clean, — 

 scoured and aired, and used for nothing but the keeping 

 of cheese. 



Fig. 128 represents the cow-stall used as a cheese- 

 room, in which the salt-trough is seen, and the dairyman 

 and dairy-woman are occupied in turning and trimming 

 the cheese. 



Manufacture of Sweet Milk Cheese in South 

 Holland. — The best kind of sweet milk cheese is 

 made in the vicinity of the city of Gouda, and on the 

 gray and Dutch Yssel, from which circumstance it is 

 often known by the name of Gouda cheese. 



The making of this cheese is less difficult than that 

 of spice cheese, but requires more attention and care, 

 because the rich sweet milk is used for it. It is as fol- 

 lows: The milk as it comes fresh from the cow is 

 Btrained through a hair-strainer into a large wooden vat 



