BACTERIA AND CHEESE-MAKING. 265 



too small a number compared with the others, troublesome 

 cheese-diseases may arise even in the first stages of the 

 manufacture. Freudenreich thus isolated a bacteria which 

 caused irregular cracks in Swiss cheese (gebldhter Kdse) 

 or else an immense number of irregular holes (Nissler 

 Kdse), giving the cheese a different appearance than that 

 produced by the desired regular holes. He states that if 

 this micro-organism is inoculated into the milk, and cheese 

 at once made from it, the comparatively few bacteria will 

 cause the appearance of large irregular holes (the first- 

 mentioned disease); but if the bacteria are allowed to 

 multiply in the milk, i.e., if it is left to coagulate slowly, 

 the second form of the disease will arise. 



In some kinds of cheese, e.g. certain English cheese 

 where a slow fermentation and a solid, closed cheese is 

 wanted, the curd is salted. Besides checking the growth 

 of the bacteria this gives to the cheese the salt taste de- 

 sired. In other kinds, e.g. Swiss cheese, the first fermen- 

 tation is left to continue unchecked, and the salting does 

 not take place until the cheese has been pressed. 



Curing of Cheese. After having been put into molds 

 and pressed, the cheese is ready for the curing process in 

 which it is to assume the flavor desired. For this purpose 

 the cheese is brought either into the curing-room or di- 

 rectly into the cheese-cellar, according to the demands in 

 each case. The cheese in the former case is allowed to 

 dry out somewhat in the fairly dry, pure air of the curing- 

 room and is then transferred to the cheese-cellar, where 

 the curing proper will take place. The most important 

 work which the bacteria have to perform in the cheese 

 then begins. 



