RENNET. 99 



always aim to have a supply of good old rennets on band. 



SAVING RENNETS. 



Ill saving rennets, great care should be taken to have 

 them right. The fourth stomach of the calf is what is 

 saved. Cut it from the adjoining stomach, at the point 

 of junction, and do not leave a piece of intestine on the 

 other end, but cut close to the opening of the rennet. 

 Remove straws and dirt of all kinds carefully, but be 

 sure to not rub off the delicate lining of the stomach, 

 which is the digestive or coagulative part and very much 

 inclined to adhere to your hands, especially if they are 

 dry. Do not try to rinse off anything more than the 

 loose dirt, and that without rubbing, for you cannot rub 

 without waste. What is better, avoid having dirt or any 

 thing else in the stomach to remove. This you can do 

 by letting the calf go sixteen or eighteen hours without 

 eating, and placed where it can get hold of nothing to 

 swallow before killing. Say, feed it at night and slay it 

 the next day about noon. The stomach will then be 

 empty and clean and well stored with pepsin for the di- 

 gestion of the next meal. This secretion, is just what 

 you want. The rennet is best when the calf is six or 

 eight days old. But, in any case, digestion should be 

 well established before killing. If the calf should go too 

 long without food as is often the case with veal calves 

 the stomach will get inflamed. This is objectionable 



SELECTING RENNETS. 



In selecting rennets to soak, all discolored and bad 

 smelling ones should be scrupulously rejected. But 



