CHEESE. 



served. The coagulated milk should 

 be taken out and examined ; and any 

 substance besides curd found in it 

 should l)c carefully removed. The 

 serum left m it sliouid be pressed out 

 with a cloth. It siioiiid then i)c re- 

 placed in the stomach willi a laif^c 

 quantity of the best salt. Some add 

 a little alum and saltpetre ; others 

 put various herbs and spices, with 

 the view of giving the cheese a pe- 

 culiar flavour, but the plain, sunple 

 sailing is sufficient. Tiie skins, or 

 veils, as they are called, are then put 

 into a pan, and covered with a satu- 

 rated brine, in which they are soaked 

 for some hours ; but there must be 

 no more liquor than will well moisten 

 the veils. They are afterward hung 

 up to dry, a piece of flat wood being 

 put crosswise into each to stretcli 

 Ihein out. They should be perfectly 

 dried, and look like parchment. In 

 this state they may be kept in a dry 

 place for any length of time, and are 

 always ready for use. In some places, 

 at thi' lime of making cheese, a piece 

 of a veil is cut off and soaked f(U- 

 some hours in water or whey, and 

 the whole is added to the warm milk. 

 In other places, pieces of veil are put 

 into a linen bag and soaked in warm 

 water, until the water has acquireil 

 sulKc'ieiit strength, which is proved 

 by trying a portion of ii in warm milk 

 The method employe<i in 8w tzerland 

 is as follows : A dry veil is taken and 

 examined ; it is scraped with a knife, 

 and where any veins or pieces of 

 tough laembrdiie a|)pear they are re- 

 moved I he whole surface is exam- 

 ined and washed carelully, if any 

 dust or dirt has adhered to it ; but 

 otherwise it is only wiped with a 

 cloth. A handful of salt is then put 

 into It, and the edges ol the veil are 

 folded over and secured with a wood- 

 en skewer stuck through it. In this 

 stale it forms a ball of about three 

 inches' diameter, and is laid to soak 

 twenty-four hours in a dish contain- 

 ing about a quart of clear whey, which 

 has been boiled, and all the curd 

 taken out. The next day the veil is 

 well squeezed, and put into fresh 

 whey, the first infusion being put 

 146 



into a proper vessel ; the second is 

 afterward mixed with it and bottled 

 for use. Half a pint of this liquor, of 

 a proper strength, is sufficient to cur- 

 dle luriy gallons of milk. Experience 

 alone enables the dairyman to judge 

 of the strength of his rennet; fortius 

 purpose he takes in a Hal ladle some 

 milk which has been healed to about 

 95° of Fahrenheit, and adds a small 

 measure of rennet By the rapidity 

 with which it curdles, and the lunu 

 of the Hakes produced, he know\- its 

 exact strength, and puis more or less 

 into the caldrcm in which the milk is 

 healed for curdling. A simple instru- 

 ment might easily be invented by 

 which the exact degree of strength 

 might be ascertained, and a rule giv 

 en to guide the less experienced ; but 

 as long as a man feels a superiority 

 acipiired by exierience alone, he is 

 not likely to encourage any contri- 

 vance which would place others on a 

 level with himself. From this cause 

 even the thermometer has i.ot been 

 introduced generally into any great 

 dairy, nor have any certain rules been 

 given to ascertain the exact heat le- 

 quired in the milk, when the reniiei 

 is added, to form the best curd. 



There are diffi'rent kinlsi)fchee.s.'. 

 according to the mode of preparing 

 it ; soft and rich cheeses are not in- 

 tended to be kept long ; hard and dry 

 cheeses are adapted to be kept and 

 stored for provisions. Of the first 

 kind are all cream cheeses, and those 

 soft cheeses called Bath and Yoik- 

 shire cheeses, which are s >ld as soon 

 as made, and if kept loo long become 

 soil and putrid. Stilton an;! (iruyere 

 (dieeses are intermediate; Parme- 

 san, Dutch, Cheshire, Gloucester- 

 shire, and similar cheeses are in- 

 tended for longer keeping. The 

 poorer the cheese, the longer it will 

 keep ; and all cheese that is well 

 cleared from whey and sufficiently 

 salted will keep for years The 

 small Dutch cheeses called Edam 

 cheeses are admirably adapted for 

 keeping, and form an important arti- 

 cle in the victualling of snips. 



The Gruycrc and Parmesan cheeses 

 only difler in the nature of the milk, 



