342 DETAILS OF PRESSING. 



pressed into the mould till it is quite full. The cheese- 

 mould is in the form of a bowl, made of willow wood ; 

 with its lower part pierced with holes, so that the whey 

 can run off when the pressure is applied. The cheese 

 now formed is taken out carefully, rubbed with the 

 hands, and still further worked in the cheese-tub, and 

 again very firmly pressed into the mould with the hands. 

 To be able to press it into the mould with greater 

 power, an implement called the presser is used. It con- 

 sists of a short stick, with a kind of handle or cross- 

 piece on the upper end. On the lower end a disc is 

 fixed which fits into the cheese-mould. In using the 

 instrument, the disc is placed on the cheese to be pressed 

 into the mould, the handle or cross-piece is placed 

 against the chest or shoulders, and the operator presses 

 down at the same time with his hands, thrusting the 

 disc as deeply as possible into the cheese-mould. When 

 pressed enough on one side, it is turned round in the 

 mould, bringing the other side up, and the pressure is 

 again applied as strongly as possible. For saving the 

 whey in cheese-pressing, the mould is set into a pan only 

 a little larger than the mould itself, which catches the 

 whey running out from the mould. When the cheese 

 in the mould is properly pressed by hand, the cover is 

 put upon the mould, which is loaded gradually, in order 

 to bring down the greatest possible pressure. The 

 weight or pressure is greater or less according to the 

 size of the cheese ; yet during the pressure the cheese 

 must be frequently turned, that it may get the right form. 

 The gradual increase of the pressure goes on for 

 twenty-four hours, when the cheese is taken from the 

 mould to be laid in a tub of salt-brine in the cellar ; the 

 cellar must be kept cool. The cheese remains in the 

 brine twenty-four hours, but is turned once in that time. 

 It is then taken out and put upon a table, the surface 



