COMMERCIAL CHEESE-RIPENING 393 



These experiments demonstrate that, by curing 

 cheese at lower temperatures than those that have 

 been commonly in use, it is possible to obtain a perfect, 

 edible quality of cheddar cheese, which means cheese 

 of clean, mild, delicate flavor, somewhat lasting, but 

 not so sharp as to bite the tongue ; and body such 

 that a piece of cheese on the tongue dissolves com- 

 pletely, leaving only a sensation of smoothness and 

 richness, with no trace of harshness or grittiness. 

 Such cheese can be eaten without the disagreeable 

 effect of long after-tasting, which imperfectly cured 

 cheese produces. The consumption of cheese can be 

 greatly stimulated by making the cheese right and 

 then ripening it under proper conditions of tempera- 

 ture and moisture. 



METHODS OF PROVIDING PROPER CON- 

 DITIONS FOR CHEESE-RIPENING 



There are three ways in which the evils resulting 

 from improper conditions of ripening can be over- 

 come: (i) Immediate sale and removal of cheese, 



(2) providing proper conditions in cheese-factory and 



(3) central curing-stations. We will briefly consider 

 each. 



Immediate sale and removal. In factories which 

 are provided with no adequate facilities for ripening 

 cheese, it has in many cases come to be a custom to 

 sell the cheese before it has had a chance to deteriorate. 

 So far as the cheese-factory is concerned, this system 

 relieves it of responsibility for the cheese after its 

 manufacture; but the factory patrons lose such ad- 

 vantage as would come from providing good curing- 

 rooms and holding the cheese. The buyer has an 



