124 SKETCHES OP RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Gloucester, &c. The poorest cheese generally receives 

 the greatest quantity of dye, in order to give it an 

 appearance of richness. 



The process of cheese-making is carried on much in 

 the same way in different counties. When the rennet 

 has been added to the milk, and the curd has formed, 

 and is firm enough to be separated from the whey, the 

 dairy-woman plunges her hands to the bottom of the 

 cheese-tub, and with a wooden dish stirs the curd and 

 whey ; then lets go the dish, and by her hand agitates 

 the whole, carefully breaking every part of the curd, 

 until it is all reduced to fragments, not exceeding the 

 size of a hazel-nut. This is done to prevent lumps 

 called slip-curd, which are apt 

 to form and harden, retaining a 

 portion of whey, and injuring 

 the quality of the cheese. 



The breaking of the curd 

 may be likewise conveniently 

 done by means of an instrument 

 called a curd-cutter, which is 

 an oval hoop of copper, with a 

 stem of round copper-rod, and 

 a wooden handle. After this 

 thorough stirring and breaking, 

 the curd rapidly sinks, and the 

 milk- woman lades off the whey, 

 setting it aside for whey-butter, 

 or sending it immediately to 

 the tog-tub. When she has 

 taken out all the whey she can 

 from the curd, by pressing it with her hands and with 

 the lading-dish, she takes a knife and cuts the curd into 

 square pieces of about two or three inches. This allows 

 more whey to flow from it, and also makes it more con- 

 venient for handling. 



It is now ready for the cheese-vat. The common sort 

 of vat is built of elm staves, as being least liable to 



