332 



PREPARATION OF RENNET. 



Fig. 120. 



times painted blue and the 

 hoops black. It is seen in 

 Fig. 120. 



When the quantity of milk 

 is large, the dairyman puts in 

 as much rennet as he thinks 

 necessary to curdle the milk 

 completely; but before and 

 during the addition of the 

 curd the whole is thoroughly 

 stirred, and this stirring is 

 continued until the stick or 

 wooden ladle used for the pur- 

 pose will stand erect in the curd. Then the dairy- 

 woman works the curd with her hands till no further 

 effect of the rennet in curding the milk is to be seen. 

 It is called the cheese-curd. 



The rennet is prepared in the following manner : The 

 maw or fourth stomach of a newly-killed sucking calf is 

 taken from the other stomachs, carefully cleaned and 

 cut into strips two inches wide, and then hung up in 

 the chimney to be smoked and dried ; or, in hot weather 

 in summer, it. is hung up in the sun. Well smoked 

 and dried strips wiJl keep a very long time. When 

 these are wanted for use, they are very carefully washed 

 and purified, and then laid in the salt brine from the 

 butter-barrels, or in lukewarm salt water to soak. The 

 liquid is put into bottles and laid in the cellar. For 

 curding milk as much is taken as is thought to be 

 necessary, which cannot be determined without consid- 

 erable practice and experience. If too little is taken, 

 the cheese is not fat enough ; if more than the right 

 quantity, it gives a disgusting acid taste. It is diffi- 

 cult, almost impossible, to state exactly how much ren- 

 net should be used with a certain quantity of milk, 



