266 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



steam to the bottom of the tin milk-vat. Sut- 

 ficient rennet is then added to set the cheese in 

 about 40 minutes. When the cheese is set, tlie 

 coagulated curd is cut into small pieces with along, 

 four-bladed steel knife, which crushes the curd 

 much less than the old-fasliioned breakers, and is 

 thus not so liable to press out the batter. 



The curd is then " scalded." This is done either 

 by heating a portion of the whey (which should 

 not be heated to the boiling point), and pouring 

 it into the vat till the whole is raised to the desired 

 temperature; or when steam can be applied to the 

 vat, it is heated in this way. The temperature va 

 ries somewhat in ditFerent dairies : thus Mr. O. S. 

 CuMiNGS, of Trenton Falls, "scalds" to 104°; Mr. 

 A. CooN, of Russia, from 108° to 110°; Mr. W. 

 Buck, 102° to 104°, and Mr. S. K. Andrews, 100° 

 to 102°. 



After the scalding, the curd is allowed to stand 

 in the heated whey about 40 minutes, and the whey 

 and curd is then poured on to a cloth placed on a 

 a shallow wooden vessel, with a hole in the bottom 

 which allows the strained whey to run off. The 

 curd is then broken up fine and salted to suit the 

 taste— say a teacupful to each 10 or 12 cows. The 

 curd is then placed in the vat and put under the 

 press, where it remains till the next morning. 



Those acquainted with the English method of 

 making cheese will see in what respect the two 

 processes differ. The method so imperfectly and in- 

 adequately described above, is not one-half as much 

 labor as the Cheshire or Gloucestershire process. The 

 method of heating the milk by the application of 

 steam to the cheese-vat is a great improvement. 

 Then the method of separating the curd from the 

 whey by straining it through a cloth is much more 

 expeditious. In Cheshire the whey is removed by 

 pressing down a flat-bottomed pan gently on the 

 curd in the cheese-tub and allowing it to fill. When 

 the curd is thus partially freed from the whey, the 

 curd is again gently broken and allowed to settle 

 and separate and the whey is baled out slowly, the 

 curd being placed on one side of the tub, which 

 is slightly raised, and a board is placed on the 

 curd with heavy weights on top to press out the 

 whey. 



The curd is then cut into pieces six or eight inches 

 square, and again pressed with heavier weights. 

 When as much whey as possible is removed in this 

 way, the curd is placed in a vat and gently broken. 

 Tt is then put under the press, and a slight pressure 

 applied at first, whicli is gradually increased till no 

 more whey can be pressed out. To facilitate the \ 



flow of the whey, the cheese is pierced with skew-^ 

 ers. This preliminary pressing occupies four orii 

 five hours. The cheese is then taken out of the' 

 press, broken up again very fine, salted, put in the 

 vat again, and pressed under a heavy press for three' 

 or four days — clean and dry cloths being put round 

 the cheese as the old ones become wet. 



This is & tedious process, and we Uiink some of 

 the operations of the American process might be 

 adopted in England with advantage. Still, on the 

 .whole, we like the Cheshire clieese the best. The 

 essential point of difterence is the " scalding." This 

 readers less salt and less pressing necessary. Ther( 

 can be no doubt that the preserving action of th( 

 salt is greater in proportion to the absence of whej 

 in the cheese when it is applied; and it is for thi; 

 reason that the Cheshire dairymen press their can 

 before the salt is added. 



High Peice of Meat in England. — The coldnes 

 of last winter and spring in England, and the cor 

 sequent scarcity of cattle food, has gi'eatly reduce 

 the number of cattle and sheep usually fattene 

 and brought to market, and the price of meat ' 

 unusually high. The best beef sells in London, b 

 the carcase— according to the last quotations (Jul 

 21)— at 16 to 17 cents per lb.; and prime mutto 

 at the same price. The Mai-]^ Lane Express saj 

 "a vast number of cattle and sheep have been ai 

 tually starved to death from the scarcity of fuoi 

 In Scotland and Ireland and the north of Englar 

 the sheep and lambs have perished by thonsaiul 

 and in Ireland, the cattle by hundreds, from po5 

 tive starvation." The operatives in the manufa 

 turing districts have been holding meetings, j'' 

 which they resolved to abstain from meat till ti|»' 



1 I" 



prices were lower. 



SOTITUDOWNS vs. LeIOESTEES FOE CROSSING WH 



the MEEiNO.--An intelligent German, who atten- 

 ed the late Jonas Webb's ram-letting in Englan 

 stated that "the South-downs do better in Ge 

 many than the Leicesters, when crossed with tl 

 Merino." We have known a flock of coinnK 

 Merinos, crossed with a Leicester ram, that pr 

 duced a very profitable mutton sheep ; but" v 

 think it quite likely that the South-down would 1 

 a better sheep to cross with— the cross would n 

 be so abrupt. Will our readers give us their exp^ 

 rience on this point? 



Cost of Plowing. — It is estimated that the &k 

 ot plowing, in England, is twelve shillings ($f 

 per acre. 



