Halting and Pressing. 261 



hardens the curd. It also checks the further devel- 

 opment of lactic acid. The salt should be uniformly 

 mixed through the curd, and the curd kept stirred 

 until it is fully dissolved. A salt of rather coarse 

 grain is preferable for cheese. It requires a some- 

 what longer time for solution, and the particles of 

 the salt are carried to the centre of the pieces of 

 curd more effectually. When the. salt is thoroughly 

 dissolved the curd is ready to put in the press. 



During the cheddaring and grinding -stage va- 

 rious means, as covering with cloths, etc., have 

 been taken to keep up the temperature of the curd, 

 and at the time when the cheese is ready to salt 

 it should not be below 90 F. When the salt is 

 added the curd should be spread out thin, so that 

 it will cool off, and when it is put into the press 

 should be at a temperature of from 78 to 82 F. 

 If the curd is put in the press too warm, the fat 

 is more easily pressed out and lost. On the other 

 hand, if the curd is at too low a temperature when 

 put in the press, it is more difficult to make the 

 particles adhere together into a solid mass. The 

 object of pressing the cheese is to bring it into a 

 form suitable for transportation and convenient for 

 consumption. The pressure also removes any surplus 

 moisture that is in the curd ; but the primary object 

 of pressing is not to remove moisture. In fact, all 

 of the moisture that is removed from the cheese by 

 the press is that held by capillarity between the par- 

 ticles of curd, and practically none can be expressed 

 from the particles themselves. If the curd is too 



