92 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



added to it and stirred a few minutes ; some make use of hot 

 water in preference to whey, and it is in both cases heated 

 according to the nature of the curd ; if it is soft, the whey 

 or water is used nearly boiling ; but if hard, it is only used a 

 little hotter than the hand. After the curd is thoroughly 

 mixed with the hot stnfT, it is suffered to stand a few minutes 

 to settle, and is then separated as at the first operation. 

 After the scalding liquor is separated, a vat, or what is often 

 called a cheese hoop, is laid across the cheese ladder over 

 the tub, and the curd is crumbled into it with the hands, and 

 pressed into the vat, to squeeze out the whey. The vat be- 

 ing filled as full and as firmly as the hand alone can fill it, 

 and rounded up in the middle, a cheese cloth is spread over 

 it, and the curd is turned out of the hoop into the cloth ; the 

 vat is then Avashed, and the inverted mass of curds, with the 

 cloth under it, is returned into the vat and put into the press ; 

 after standing two or three hours in the press, the vat is 

 taken out, and the cloth is taken off, washed, and put round 

 the cheese, and it is replaced in the vat and in the press. 

 In about seven or eight hours it is taken out of the press and 

 salted, the cheese is placed on a board, and a handful of salt 

 is rubbed all over it, and the edges are pared off if necessary ; 

 another handful of salt is strewed on the upper side, and as 

 much left as will stick to it ; afterwards it is turned into the 

 bare vat without a cloth, and an equal quantity of salt is 

 added to it, and the cheese is returned into the press ; here 

 it continues one night, and the next morning it is turned in 

 the vat, and continues till the succeeding morning, and the 

 curd is taken out and placed on the dairy shelf: here they 

 are turned every day or every other day, as the weather may 

 be. If it is hot and dry, the windows and door are kept 

 shut ; but if wet or moist, the door and windows are kept 

 open night and day.' 



Cleaning the Cheese. ' The cheeses having remained about 

 ten days after leaving the press, are to be washed and 

 scraped in the following manner : a large tub of cold sweet 

 whey is placed on the floor, the cheeses are immerged in it, 

 where they continue one hour, or longer, if necessary, to 

 soften the rind. They are then taken out and scraped with 

 a common case-knife, with great care, so as not to injure the 

 tender rind, till every part of the cheese is smooth ; they 

 are after the last operation rinsed in the whey and wiped 

 clean with a coarse cloth, and placed in an airy situation to 

 dry, after which they are placed in the cheese room. The 



