198 AUSTRALIAN 



vat, while thoroughly stirring and separating the curd, 

 then throw the mass out on a table, and rub it down with 

 the hands to the size of peas or wheat grains, and then 

 apply, as evenly as possible, from 2 to 6 oz. of fine salt per 

 ten gallons of milk, then cover it up, if necessary, 

 according to the state of the acid and the amount of whey 

 left, to carry away the free salt. Air the curd well and 

 put it to press, having regard both to the acidity of the 

 curd and the temperature of the atmosphere : 74 deg. is a 

 favourite temperature. If put to press too warm in hot 

 weather, the curd may ferment in the centre of the cheese 

 and cause it to swell and lose flavor. In cool weather the curd 

 temperature must be worked high enough to make a 

 smooth face to the cheese. 



Pressing and Curing. As pressing, in some form, is 

 always resorted to for ordinary cheese, it is a matter of 

 importance to get the best and most convenient appliances. 

 The gang-press, with improved iron vats or hoops, is in 

 favor in the factories. It is compact, economical, and 

 does its work satisfactorily. Great variety of other presses 

 are also in use, the principle of which is the lever, 

 weighted lightly at first, and heavier as the pressing goes 

 on. A very good press is made by fixing a notch of wood 

 to the wall of the room in which the pressing is done ; the 

 butt of a sapling is then fixed to rest upon the cap of the 

 cheese-vat, the end being weighed as may be desired. 



Temperature, Acid, &c. One of the most difficult 

 points in cheese making is to determine exactly where the 

 heat and acid development should be arrested, and the 

 salt applied to the curd. Experience and judgment tell 

 at this point; some acquire the skill in a few months, 

 others scarcely ever reach it. No fixed rule can be laid 

 down, as the milk of different cows, and of different 

 localities, as well as of different years and different seasons 

 of the year, work differently. Averages can only be given 

 here. Each cheese maker must determine for himself or 

 herself the degree of heat and acid required for the time 

 and place. The importance of having curing rooms, in 

 which the temperature can be controlled and kept between 

 70 and 80 degrees, is beginning to be more and more 



