76 SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF CHEESE-MAKING 



low, the coating will be too thick and will crack or 

 break away from the cheese more easily. About 

 5 or 6 ounces of paraffin will cover an 8o-pound 

 cheese, and the cost is about 2.y 2 to 3 cents. Most 

 retail merchants are now in favor of having" cheese 

 coated with paraffin ; but in England many of the 

 large exporters are not in sympathy with the idea, 

 although the number of the latter is gradually de- 

 creasing. If cheese is exposed to high tempera- 

 tures after the paraffin is applied, its beneficial effect 

 will be lost. For this reason, the average factory 

 cannot paraffin cheese, and it is usually done at 

 central cold-storage places, to which the cheese is 

 shipped. 



WEIGHING CHEESE FOR SHIPMENT 



Before cheese is shipped, each one should be 

 carefully weighed and the weights copied in dupli- 

 cate.. Special cheese-shipping books are available 

 for this purpose. One copy is forwarded to the 

 purchaser of the cheese and the other is kept at 

 the cheese-factory. In most states, the cheese is sold 

 according to the exact weight of each, "balanced 

 beam." In Canada the factorymen are forced to 

 allow the buyers "up-beam," plus *4 pound. This 

 means that, for every cheese sold, the factoryman 

 gives away at least *4 pound. In many cases it is 

 more, because it is difficult for the cheese-maker to 

 have the cheese always weigh so near the pound mark. 

 Unfortunately, this has become an almost uncriticised 

 practice and it is hoped that cheese-makers in 

 Canada will soon awaken to a better method of selling 

 cheese. 



