Composition of Cheese. 25 



Percentage of water in Curd when ready to go into the vat. 

 1st spec men, percentage of water 59'67 



2nd 

 3rd 

 4th 

 5th 



56-93 

 53-40 



52-80 



50-01 



These were produced according to the custom of Gloucester- 

 shire and Wiltshire, at a temperature varying from 72 to 75 ; 

 but, not having taken the observations myself, I am unable to 

 speak more precisely. This much, however, is quite certain, 

 that the lower temperature at which the cheese is usually made 

 in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, when compared with the 

 Cheddar system, fully accounts for the large proportion of water 

 that is found in curd made after the Gloucester or Wiltshire 

 fashion. The cheese made from these five curds was best at the 

 dairy in which I found the -lowest proportion of water in the 

 curd. The differences here noticed, however, are * due not only to 

 the higher or lower temperature employed, but also to the 

 trouble and the time bestowed in breaking up the curd. Other 

 circumstances being equal, the more thoroughly curd is broken 

 up, and the longer time is occupied in this process, the more 

 whey will pass out, and the better the cheese is likely to become. 

 I consider 50 per cent, of moisture rather under the average, and 

 53 to 54 per cent, a proper quantity of water to be contained 

 in the curd when it is vatted to form a thin or moderately thick 

 cheese. In making thick cheese, it should not have more than 

 45 per cent, of moisture. 57 or 59J per cent., the proportions of 

 water in the first and second specimens of curd, are too high 

 even for a thin cheese. 



Curd being a very peculiar and delicate substance, which is 

 greatly affected by the temperature to which it is exposed, I 

 directed some special experiments to the investigation of its pro- 

 perties. First, I coagulated new milk at 60 Fahrenheit, and 

 found that at such a low temperature it took three hours to com- 

 plete the process, though the rennet was added in a very large 

 excess. The curd remained tender, and the whey could not be 

 properly separated. Milk at 65 F., on addition of rennet, 

 curdled in two hours ; but the curd, as before, remained tender, 

 even after long standing. At 70 to 72 J F. it only took from 

 one-half to three-quarters of an hour, and the curd now separated 

 in a more compact condition. The process was more expe- 

 ditious, and the curd in better condition, when the temperature 

 ranged from 80 to 84. At 90 the rennet curdled the milk in 

 twenty minutes, and at 100 F. an excess of rennet coagulated 

 the milk in about a quarter of an hour, separating the curd in a 



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