KOOMS. 



JT is hard to determine which is of the greater impor- 

 tance, good rennet or properly constructed curing- 

 rooms; for both are necessary to the production of 

 the best cheese, while the want of either is sure to injure 

 if not to spoil it. The importance of control iug the tem- 

 perature in curing has not yet taken hold of the popular 

 mind. The best milk in the world may be spoiled by bad 

 rennet, and the best curd in the world may be spoiled by 

 a bad curing-room. 



TEMPERATURE. 



In a large majority of the curing-rooms of the country, 

 the temperature ranges from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 90 

 degrees and even above. Sometimes these extremes are 

 realized within a few days. Think of setting a curd to 

 fermenting at 80 to 90 degrees, when it ought to start at 

 00 to 65 degrees ! Yet, this is frequently done; and to 

 prevent the cheese from huffing and crawling it is pro- 

 posed by some to make the curd so dry and sour in the 

 beginning that heat will not soften it. In this way, is 

 made what some buyers style a "firm" cheese. The best 

 English Cheddars, according to the American Encyclope- 



