MR. AITON'S STATEMENT. 263 



first, by making cross-scores with a knife or a thin piece 

 of wood, at about one or two inches distant, and inter- 

 secting each other at right angles ; and these are 

 renewed still more closely after some of the whey has 

 been discharged. Others break the whole curd more 

 minutely at once with the hand or the skimmer. 



After the curd has been broken, the whey ought to 

 be taken off as speedily as it can be done, and with as 

 little further breaking or handling the curd as possible. 

 It is necessary, however, to turn the curd, cut it with 

 a knife, or break it gently with the hand. 



When the curd has 'consolidated a little, it is cut 

 with the cheese-knife, slightly at first, and more mi- 

 nutely as it hardens, so as to bring off the whey. When 

 the greater part of the whey has been extracted, the 

 curd is taken up from the curd-boyn, and, being cut into 

 pieces of about two inches in thickness, it is placed in 

 a sort of vat or sieve with many holes. A Jid is placed 

 upon it, and a slight pressure, say from three to four 

 stone avoirdupois ; and the curd is turned up arid cut 

 small every ten or fifteen minutes, and occasionally 

 pressed with the hand so long as it continues to dis- 

 charge serum. When no more whey can be drawn off 

 by these means, the curd is cut as small as possible with 

 the knife, the proper quantity of salt minutely mixed 

 into it in the curd-boyn, and placed in the chessart 

 within a shift of thin canvas, and put under the press. 



All these operations ought to be carried on and com- 

 pleted with the least possible delay, and yet without 

 precipitation. The sooner the whey is removed after 

 the coagulation of the milk, so much the better. But, 

 if the curd is soft, from being set too cold, it requires 

 more time, and to be more gently dealt with, as other- 

 wise much of the curd and of the fat would go off with 

 the whey ; and when the curd has been formed too hot, 



