280 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



the vats, and presses it closely together with the hand 

 in filling them. In making double Gloucester cheese, 

 particular care is taken to press any remaining whey 

 from the curd as the vats are being filled, and they 

 are filled as compactly as can be done with the hand, 

 being rounded up in the middle, but just so much so 

 as that the whole can be pressed into the vat. Cheese 

 cloths are then spread over the vats, and a little hot 

 water is thrown over the cheese cloths, which tends 

 to harden the outside of the cheese and prevent it 

 from cracking. The curd is now turned out of the 

 vats into the cloths, and the vats being dipped into 

 the whey to wash away any crumbs of curd that may 

 cling to them, the curd, inverted and with the cloth 

 around it, is again put into them. The cloths are 

 then folded over and tucked in; and the vats, as they 

 are filled, are put into the press one upon another. — 

 The bottom of the vats are smooth and a little 

 romided, so as to answer the purpose of cheese- 

 boards, which, therefore, are only wanted for the 

 uppermost vats, or when the other vats are not quite 

 full. The vats are allowed to remain under the press 

 about two hours, when they are taken out and dry 

 cloths are ajjplied, which with double Gloucester 

 cheeses should be repeated some time in the day. 



Salting and Salthig-presses. — The vats, when the 

 clean cloths are given, as just mentioned, are chang- 

 ed from the single press to the one next to it, and 

 placed in it, one upon another, as before. They re- 

 raam in this press till the cheeses are salted, when 

 those made in the evening take the place in the press 

 of those made in the morning, and those made in the 

 evening are, in their turn, displaced by those made 

 the foUowing morning; the cheeses of the last mak- 

 ing being alway placed lowest in the press, and those 

 of the other makings rising in it according to the 

 priority of making. The same order is observed in 

 the other two presses, the last or newest making in 

 each being lowest, and each making having next 

 above it that which was made last before it The 

 cheeses pass through the three presses in this order, 

 advancing a step in their progress at each "meal" or 

 making, till, at last, in four or five days they come 

 out of the presses and are put upon the shelves. — 

 They are generally salted at the end of twenty-four 

 hours after they are made, though this is done by 

 some at the end of twelve hours. The salting should 

 never be begun till the skin is all closed; for, "if there 

 be any crack in the cheese at the time of salting, it 

 will never close afterwards. The salting is performed 

 by rubbing with the hand both the sides and the 

 edge of the cheeses with finely powdered salt. The 

 cheese, after this, is returned to the vats, and put 

 under the press, care being always taken, accordino- 

 to what has been said, to put the newest cheese low- 

 est in the press, and the oldest uppermost. The salt- 

 ing is repeated three times with the single, and four 

 times with the double Gloucester, twenty-four hours 

 being allowed to intervene between each salting. Af- 

 ter the second salting, the cheeses are returned to the 

 vats without the clolhs, that the marks of the cloth 

 may be effaced, and the cheese may get a smoothness 

 of surface, and keenness of edge, which is a pecu- 

 liarity of Gloucestershire cheese. The double Glou- 

 cester remain in the presses five days, and the single 

 four; but in damp weather they should remain lon- 



ger. The quantity of salt generally used is about 

 three pounds and a half to a cwt. of cheese. 



The Cheese-room. — When the cheeses are taken 

 from the salting-presses, they are put on the shelf in 

 the dairy for a day or two, where they are turned 

 once in twelve hours. They are then taken to the 

 cheese loft, to make room for the new ones. In the 

 cheese-room, either on the floor or on the cheese- 

 rack, they are turned once every day; and in gene- 

 ral, in a month from the time they were taken out of 

 the vat, they are ready for cleaning, which is done by 

 scraping them with a common knife. The dairy- 

 maid, in doing this, sits down on the floor, takes a 

 cheese in her lap, and with the knife scrapes both 

 sides and edge clean, taking oS" scurf they may have 

 contracted. The cheese, if intended for the London 

 market, as is generally the case when it has been thus 

 cleaned, is rubbed all over with a paint made of In- 

 dian red, or of Spanish brown, or of a mixture of 

 both and small beer. It is rubbed on with a woollen 

 cloth. After being painted, it is turned over twice a 

 week, and oftener in damp weather; and as soon as 

 the state of the paint will permit, the edges of the 

 cheese and about an inch of each side is rubbed hard 

 with a cloth at least once a week. 



Characteristics of true Gloucester. — The mark of 

 true Gloucester cheeses are " the blue coat," which 

 arises through the paint on their sides, and which is 

 a sure sign of their richness and sweetness ; the yel- 

 low, golden hue of their edges ; a smooth, close, and 

 wax-like texture; a very mild and rich flavor; not 

 crumbling when cut into thin slices, nor parting when 

 toasted, with the oily matter they contain, but soft- 

 ening when burning. If cheese has been soured in 

 the making, either from being too long in hand, or 

 from want of attention in scalding the utensils, no- 

 thing will cause it to assume the blue coat. If the 

 curd is salted when ground down, before being put 

 into the vats, the salt has the effect of gi'^'ing a skin 

 to each of the particles of the curd it comes in con- 

 tact with, which prevents them from intimately unit- 

 ing; and, although the curd maybe pressed together 

 and become good cheese, yet it never becomes a 

 smooth, close and solid mass hke that which is salted 

 after it is made, but is of a loose texture, and crum- 

 bles when cut; and although it may be equally fat, 

 yet in toasting the fat melts out of it, and the cheesy 

 part burns. The skin of the cheese, too, is not tough 

 and solid, but hard and brittle, and when examined, 

 seems to be formed of many irregular portions, some- 

 thin": like mosaic work. — Farmers^ Magazine. 



Pkesekving Potato Seeds. — C. S. Jackson, of 

 London, patentee. This invention is to preserve po- 

 tato and other roots to be used as seeds, and to pre- 

 vent them from being injured by rot, fungus, or 

 worms. To do this, a solution of the sulphate of 

 zinc is made up (about 1 lb. for 30 gallons water), 

 and when cold the potatoes are steeped in it for a 

 few minutes, then taken out, dried, and put past till 

 spring, in a diy, cool place. This information may 

 be very useful to many of om- gardeners and farmers 

 this year, in the preservation of choice seeds and 



roots. 



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A BAB man's dislike is an honor. 



