234 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



different kinds of cheese, endeavor to give, in as concise a man- 

 ner as possible, the course pursued in some of the Worcester 

 County dairies, in this State, which stand high in the market. 

 I do this, notwithstanding the factory system is being substituted 

 in many places for the private dairies, for there are, probably, 

 many who will still adhere to their present practice. 



In the first place, all the utensils used for milk, or about the 

 curd, and the dairy-room itself, should be kept clean and sweet, 

 for there is hardly anything so susceptible of imbibing impurities 

 as milk. The milk having been drawn from the cow and con- 

 veyed to the dairy-room, should be strained through a sufficient 

 number of thicknesses of cloth to preclude all possibility of 

 any extraneous matter, should there be any in the milk, from 

 passing through. Before, however, all is strained, a little 

 annotto, previously dissolved in water, is strained with the milk. 

 The quantity used should be sufficient only to give the curd a 

 rich cream color, and the required quantity must be judged of by 

 those having experience. Rennet is then added to the milk, 

 sufficient to coagulate it in thirty to forty minutes, the milk 

 being thoroughly stirred at the time it is put in. The manner 

 of preparing the rennet is of much importance, for, unless this 

 is pure and sweet, it is in vain to expect cheese of good flavor. 



The milk, at the expiration of the time above stated, being 

 sufficiently coagulated, which experience alone can determine, a 

 thin wooden knife, reaching to the bottom of the tub, is passed 

 through the curd, each way, leaving it in large squares ; it is 

 then allowed to stand till the curd settles, leaving the whey 

 upon the top, then dipped off into a cloth placed in drainers 

 made for the purpose, there to remain till the whey is drained 

 from the curd, leaving it nearly dry ; occasionally cutting it 

 with a knife to facilitate the process, and subjecting it, in the 

 mean time, to a slight pressure. 



It is then cut into large squares, placed in a tub, and covered, 

 to remain till the next morning ; this, with the curd from the 

 milk of the evening previous, is cut into small squares with a curd- 

 cutter or knife ; warm water is then poured over it, stirring it, and 

 adding hotter water, till the curd will yield to pressure without 

 breaking ; then dipped into drainers, and stirred till nearly cool, 

 and free from moisture. It is then salted, requiring about two 

 pounds and a half of salt to one hundred pounds of curd. When 



