98 HINTS ON DAfKYING. 



is not so certain that all Ihc rennets in market are of this 

 kind. The stomachs of the young of all milk-eating ani- 

 mals may be used for curding milk. We are not so sure 

 but that among u Bavarian " rennets we get the stomachs 

 of the young of every animal known under the sun. 

 They are of all sizes and all degrees of strength, but are 

 generally liked by those who use them. They are cured 

 by tying the two ends, and blowing the rennets up, like 

 bladders. A better w^ay, we think, is to rub them well 

 with pure dairy salt, stretch them on a hoop or crotched 

 stick, and hang them in a cool dry place. Some simply 

 fill them with salt, tie them, and hang them up to dry. 

 A great objection to this is, that the salt is likely to draw 

 moisture from the atmosphere, and in wet weather the 

 rennets are liable to drip and thus lose strength. Salting 

 rennets down in a barrel, as we do meat, is considered 

 objectionable for what reason, we know not. The wri- 

 ter had excellent u luck," one season, with rennets pre- 

 served in this way. In whatever way preserved, rennets 

 should, by all means, be kept cool. Heat is found to be 

 very injurious, while cold even freezing and thawing 

 appears advantageous. Possibly because the freezing 

 and thawing loosen the fiber and set the rennet spores 

 free. 



AGE AN ADVANTAGE. 



No rennets less than a year old should be used, if it 

 can possibly be avoided. The old rennets, other things 

 being equal, are stronger and make a firmer curd than 

 new ones. Any one who has experimented with both will 



