FARM DAIRYING 



437 



but it is safer for an inexperienced person to dip the curd with 

 a ladle. 



After the curd has drained for a few minutes it should be 

 rolled loose from the cloth by carefully pulling up the side of 

 the cloth (see Fig. 83). This 

 separates the dry curd from the 

 cloth and gives the whey an 

 opportunity to escape. This 

 process must be repeated several 

 times, until most of the visible 

 free whey has escaped ; the curd 

 may then be wrapped up in the 

 cloth, and pressure gradually 

 applied to force out the whey 

 (see Fig. 84). Too much or 

 too heavy pressure at first will 

 cause a considerable loss of fat, 

 and is likely to force curd par- 

 ticles through the meshes of the 

 cloth. The pressure should be 

 removed every few minutes so 

 that the cloth may be opened 

 and the curd may be stirred. If 

 not stirred, the curd next to the 

 cloth will become very dry, so that 

 it will not mix readily with the 



Softer curd, and this will pro- FIG. 84. Steps in tying the cheese. 



duce a cheese of lumpy texture. 



When the curd has become dry enough to be put up, salt is 

 evenly mixed through it at the rate of 2 ounces of salt to 10 Ib. 

 of curd. The question of when the curd is sufficiently dry 

 must be left entirely to the judgment of the maker, because 

 there is no quick method of determining the amount of moisture 

 in curd. After the salt has dissolved, the cheeses are molded 



