and on the Dairy Husbandry. 123 



6. Cheese- Making. This art cannot be altogether learned from 

 books, yet such directions may be given, as may help to correct errors, 

 or extend the knowledge of improved practices, and the introduction 

 of discoveries. A few of these can only be briefly alluded to in this 

 work. 



Milk may be coagulated for cheese, either of the natural heat, as it 

 comes from the cow, or it may be heated after being cold. The pro- 

 per temperature for setting curd for cheese, is from 90 to 96 degrees. 

 If coagulated at a lower heat, the curd is soft, does not readily part 

 with the whey, and the cheese is too soft and inadhesive. And if 

 the milk is too warm when coagulated, the curd is tough, and parts 

 with too much of the butyraceous matter, along with the serum ; and 

 the cheese is also hard and tough. 



In the English dairies, from an hour and a half, to nearly three hours, 

 is allowed for the milk to coagulate, after it is mixed with the rennet. 

 But in the Scotch dairies, the curd is generally formed in the space 

 of ten minutes after the rennet is put into it ; and if the curd were not 

 set within the space of fifteen minutes, the rennet would be thrown 

 away, and that of a better quality provided. When the coagulating 

 substance does not operate within fifteen minutes, the milk cools too 

 much ; and when the time varies greatly, it is impossible to calculate 

 the degree of heat, the regulation of which is a matter of considerable 

 importance in making cheese. 



In the English dairies, the curd is broken, or worked by two or 

 three men, having their arms bare to their shoulders, and who con- 

 tinue to break it, for about forty minutes, before any of the whey is 

 removed ; but in the Scotch dairies, the curd is very gently broken, 

 and slightly stirred by a single hand, for about the space of one mi- 

 nute, before the whey is begun to be removed. The whey is drawn 

 off, as speedily as possible, without breaking, or pressing the curd too 

 much, as that brings off part of the fat, and renders the cheese tough. 

 In the English dairies, the curd is, after being freed of the whey, 

 again submitted to a course of rubbing or bathing, before the cheese 

 is formed ; and next pierced to the centre with skivers, for some hours, 

 by two or three persons. But in the Scotch dairies, these operations 

 are unknown ; the curd is not much rubbed, nor the cheeses skivered. 

 In the English dairies, the salt is not mixed into the card, but the 

 cheeses are salted by rubbing them like bacon, or kipper, after the 

 cheeses come from the press ; while in Scotland, the salt is mixed 

 with the dry curd, before the cheese is put into the press. After being 

 salted, the English cheese is subjected to a sweating process, which is 

 never resorted to in Scotland. 



In order to make cheese rich, they sometimes mix fine tallow with 

 it, and sometimes butter. The latter is practised in the northern parts 

 of Scotland *. Sometimes also, farmers, in the northern parts of Eng- 

 land, make what are called egg cheeses, which are famous for toasting. 

 After the curd is thoroughly prepared, they make this cheese, by put- 



* It might be better to withdraw a portion of the skim-milk and retain all 

 the cream. 



