276 Milk and Its Products 



so that the curd slides out of the can with as little 

 breaking as possible * The conditions are best when 

 the mass of curd, on being dumped, retains its form 

 and breaks with a clean vitreous fracture. The 

 time required for drainage may range from two to 

 twenty -four hours, varying with the temperature, 

 amount of rennet used, amount of acidity developed, 

 and other unknown factors. When dry enough to 

 handle easily, the cloths are folded up in such a 

 manner as to enclose the curd, and the whole is 

 pressed under rather heavy pressure till the proper 

 consistency is secured. When taken from the press 

 the cakes of curd are brought to a uniform con- 

 sistency by kneading or working, or they may be 

 passed through an ordinary meat chopper. About 

 1% per cent of salt is then thoroughly incorporated 

 and the cheese molded into the desired shape. 

 The molding is a matter of some difficulty, as the 

 particles of cheese move easily on themselves, while 

 they tend to adhere to metal or wooden surfaces. 

 Large factories have specially constructed machines 

 for molding the cheese. On a small scale, the most 

 satisfactory implement is a smooth tin tube of the 

 proper diameter and long enough to hold two or 

 three cheeses. The tube is filled full of the curd 

 and then forced out of one end with a smoothly 

 fitting piston, after which the cheeses are cut apart 

 with a thread and. neatly wrapped first in thin parch- 

 ment paper and then in tin foil. According to the 

 quality of milk, from 60 to 80 standard cheeses should 

 be made from 100 pounds of milk. 



