BUTTEE AND CHEESE.] CATTLE, AND THEIE YAEIETIES. 



[milk. 



cheese depends upon the quantity of cream 

 remaining in the milk. The best cheese is 

 obtained bj coagulating the milk at the 

 temperature of 100°, and expressing the whey 

 slowly and gradually, without breaking down 

 the curd. "Whey expressed from coagulated 

 milk, if boiled, and the whole curd precipi- 

 tated, becomes transparent and colourless. By 

 slow evaporation it deposits crystals of sugar, 

 with some muriate of potash, muriate of soda, 

 and phosphate of lime. The liquid which re- 

 mains, after the separation of the salts, is con- 

 verted, by cooling, into a gelatinous substance. 

 If whey be kept, it becomes sour by the 

 formation of the lactic acid ; and it is to this 

 that the spontaneous coagulation of milk is 

 owing. Milk may, after it is sour, be fer- 

 mented, and it will yield a vinous intoxicating 

 liquor ; it is likewise susceptible of the acetous 

 fermentation. In the former state it is used 

 by some of the inhabitants of the north-east 

 of Asia, for intoxicating purposes. The con- 

 stituent parts which enter into the composition 

 of milk, are water, oil, curd, gelatine, sugar oi' 

 milk, muriate of soda, muriate of potash, phos- 

 phate of lime, and sulphur. 



The milk of various animals is composed of 

 nearly the same substances ; but the pro- 

 portions vary so much as to give them very 

 different properties. Every kind of milk pro- 

 duces cream. In that of the cow it is copious, 

 thick, and yellow. Goat's milk produces 

 abundance, and it is thicker and whiter than 

 that of the cow. Ewe's milk produces as 

 much as that of the cow, and of nearly the 

 same colour. The cream from asses' milk is 

 white and liquid. In mare's milk it is very 

 fluid, and similar in colour and consistence to 

 good cow's milk before the cream appears on 

 the surface. Butter obtained from the milk 

 of the cow differs in colour, but has always 

 much consistency. The butter of asses' milk 

 is white and soft, and disposed to be rancid. 

 That from goat's milk is abundant, white, and 

 soft. That from ewe's milk is yellow and 

 soft ; that from mare's milk has little consis- 

 tence, and is readily decomposed. The caseous 

 part of milk varies in different animals. That 

 from the milk of the cow is bulky, and retains 

 much serum. Tiic curd of asses' milk has but a 

 small portion of whey ; it is not unctuous. Curd 

 from the milk of the goat is abundant, of a 

 676 



firmer consistence than that of the cow, and 

 retains less whey. Curd from ewe's milk is 

 fat and viscid ; that from mare's milk is very 

 similar to what is obtained from the milk of 

 the ass. The serum, or whey, constitutes a 

 great proportion of the milk. That from the 

 milk of the cow has a greenish cast, and a 

 sweet taste ; containing sugar of milk and 

 neutral salts. The whey of asses* milk is 

 colourless, and contains less salts and more 

 sugar than that of the cow. TVhey of the 

 goat is yellowish, and contains very little 

 sugar and saline matter. The latter is muriate 

 of lime. The whey of ewe's milk is always 

 colourless, and contains the smallest quantity 

 of sugar, and but a small portion of muriate 

 and phosphate of lime. That of mare's milk 

 has litle colour, and contains a large proportion 

 of sacclmrine matter, and of saline substances. 

 "When milk is analysed, it is found to con- 

 tain 87 parts of water, rather more than 4^ 

 parts of sugar, and a little more than 3 parts 

 of butter, something beyond one-half of saline 

 matter, and 4^ parts of cheesy matter (curd 

 or caseine). Its weight, whilst holding them in 

 a state of suspension and solution, is about 3 

 per cent, greater than that of water. The 

 milk of different animals, however, as we have 

 already hinted, contains different proportions ; 

 and this differs again according to the breed, 

 treatment, and food of the animals. The follow- 

 ing represents a few of these differences : — ' 



Cow. "Woman. Ass. Ewe. Mare. 



Cascinc (curd) 4-5 1-5 I'S 4-5 I'G 



Butter . . 3-1 3-6 O'l 4-2 trace. 



Su^'ar . . 4-8 6-5 6-1 5-0 8-7 



Saks ... 0-6 O-o 0-3 0-7 ) 



^Vater . .87-0 87-9 91-7 85-6)'^^'' 



100- 100- 100- 100- 100- 



The object of the dairyman is sometimes to 

 assist, and sometimes to retard, the natural 

 stao-es of decomposition into which milk will 

 run when left to itself; and as it is sometimes 

 necessary to defer, as it is equally necessary 

 to hasten these degrees, all the appliances of 

 modern art requisite to perform them are nov.' 

 at his disposal. Heat is necessary to all 

 stages of this action. Hence, in winter, he 

 can easily arrest, and, by artificial means, as 

 easily advance the manipulations of his craft ; 

 but, in summer, it is not so easy to effect his 



