282 



Milk and Its Products 



Fig. 47. Stilton curd scoop. 



in such a way that the scoop takes up a thin slab 



of curd, breaking it as little as possible. The curd 



is carefully laid in the strainer, each strainer receiv- 

 ing a slice in turn 

 until all the contents 

 of the vat are col- 

 lected in the strainers. 

 The strainers when full 

 should contain about 

 three to four gal- 

 lons. After dipping, 



the whey begins to separate and is allowed to stand 



until the curds are well covered, when the plugs are 



withdrawn and the whey allowed to run off. The 



ends of the strainers are then gathered up, brought 



closely about the curd, three corners being held in 



one hand and the 



whole tightened with 



the fourth, as shown 



in Fig. 48; care being 



taken in doing this 



that the curd is not 



broken. The pressure 



of the cloth causes the 



whey to separate more 



freely, and at intervals 



of an hour the cloths 



are tightened about the 



curd until eight or ten 



hours have passed, when the curd should be firm 



and solid, and the whey entirely separated. The 



Fig. 48. Method of tightening strainer 

 cloths. (Redrawn from Jour. Royal 

 Agr. Soc., 3rd Series, vol. x.) 



