PRACTICAL FARMER 



89 



matter, iii a state of decay, bad undergone the pro- 

 cess of fermentation, that alcohol was formed. 

 True, the constituent materials exist in almost 

 every created substance ; but being there mingled 

 in such proportions as God designed, they are 

 adapted to the iise and sustenance of the beings 

 he formed. But by the mysterious and wonder- 

 ful operations of nature, that change in the pro- 

 portion and arrangement of these materials, that 

 takes place during the process of fermentation, 

 converts what was before a healthy article of food 

 into a deadly poison. Naturally, there is alcohol 

 in nothing. 



Another. — Common bread is fermented before 

 baking. It must therefore contain alcohol, and to 

 act consistently with the new principle of temper- 

 ance societies, we must debar ourselves from the 

 use of bread unless we can be contented with that 

 which is unleavened. Investigate a little further, 

 and the objection will vanish. True the dough is 

 fermented prejiaratory to baking, and alcohol is 

 formed ; but it is evaporated by the heat of the oven. 

 The process of baking and that of distilling, are 

 exact counterparts to each other. In each case, 

 the mateiials are prepared for the process by fer- 

 mentation, and the consequent formation of alco- 

 hol. In each case the alcohol is sej arated from 

 the nutriment. But there is this important differ- 

 ence : — the Distiller throws away the nutriment and 

 reserves the poison ; the Baker drives off the poison 

 and reserves the nutriment. — [Maine Temp. Her. 



GLOUCESTER CHEESE. 



In the preparation of this cheese, the milk is, 

 in the first instance, put into a cheese-cowl (which 

 is a larg; deep tub) with two teacupsful of rennet. 

 A ball of annatto is then dipped in the milk, and 

 rubbed on a piece of jiantile, which is washed into 

 the milk till the color is as high as required. The 

 quantity of annatto is regulated by the wishes of 

 the cheesefactor, some liking more than others. 

 Originally only a small quantity was einjiloycd, to 

 induce the belief that the cheese was rich, and to 

 prevent its being discovered that skimmed milk 

 had been used. But now almost all the cheese is 

 Jiighly colored ; and the color is no criterion of 

 the goodness of the article. After an hour has 

 elapsed, the milk is converted into curd ; this is 

 cut with a cheese-knife, which is about fourteen 

 inches in length, and has two edges : it is cut 

 gently at first, and then very small. It is suffered 

 to remain ten minutes, when the milkmaid puts 

 her arms into the cowl, and draws the curd gently 

 towards her, turning it over in the whey. She 

 afterwards draws it again towards her to dip out 

 the whey, which is strained through a seive, and 

 the small pieces of curd that are strained from it 

 are returned to the cowl. The curd is then put 

 into vats, in which cloths had been previously 



hiid. The vats are placed one on another, and jiut 

 in a cheese press for ten minutes, a vessel having 

 previously been placed underneatli the press to 

 catch the expressed whey. After this, the curd is 

 taken out of the vats and broken small, and some 

 hot whey is poured over it. The curd Is then 

 drawn to the side of the cowl to drain from the 

 whey, which is ladled off and strained so that no 

 curd may be wasted. Then the curd is again put 

 into the vats, and they are pressed one on another ; 

 any curd that is pressed over the edges of the vats 

 being put in the middle of the vats to make the 

 mass as firm as possible. In an hour the vats are 

 taken out of the press to have dry cloths, after 

 which they remain in the press till night, when 

 the compressed curd is taken out of the vats, turn- 

 ed and salted, and then replaced in tlie press, and 

 there remains till morning, when it is salted, and 

 also again the following evening. The second 

 morning the cloths are taken off, but the cheeses 

 are left in the vats SKven or eight days, being turn- 

 ed night and morning. After that, they are put 

 on the floor of the cheese-loft, (wjiich is a large 

 room on purpose for keeping cheese,) and turned 

 every day for three weeks or a month. In two 

 months the cheeses are scraped and painted. 1 he 

 paint is a red powder, which is strewed over the 

 cheeses and rubbed on them with the hand. In 

 three njonths, they are what is technically called 

 "ready," and are tit for the cheese-factor. 



The whey that drained from the curd, during 

 the process of cheese-making, is put into trendies 

 (a sort of tub) and suffered to remain till the next 

 day, when it is skimmed. From this, whey but- 

 ter is made, and the residue is givei: to pigs. The 

 rennet is made by mixing salt and water till it will 

 support an egg, and then boiling it half an hour. 

 \Vhen it is cold, four calves' stomachs are put to 

 a gallon of the brine, with bay leaves and slices of 

 lemon. In six weeks it is fit for use. 



For single Gloucester cheese, the vats, which 

 are made of elm, are thirteen inches in diameter, 

 and about two inches and a half in depth : for 

 double Gloucester cheese, the same diameter, and 

 twice, or more than twice the depth. All the 

 dairy utensils, after being used, are washed with 

 tepid water, and then scalded. In making the 

 double Gloucester cheeses, and those that are 

 called " truckles," the same method is pursued, 

 except that more care is used in pressing the curd 

 into the vats, which, for such cheeses, have three 

 perforations to let the whey drain oft"; and band- 

 ages of cheese-cloth are put round when the curd 

 is above the vat. Sage cheese is made by pound- 

 ing sage and straining the juice into a pail of miik, 

 to which rennet is then added. The same pro- 

 cess is observed as for other cheese till the time 

 when the warm whey should be poured upon it, 

 when it is broken up with as much of the simple 



