CHAP. vi. CHESHIRE CHEESE. 321 



with salt, and a cloth binder passed round it, which is not turned 

 over the upper surface. The cheese is then placed in brine, extend- 

 ing half-way up in a salting-tub, and the upper surface is thickly 

 covered with salt. Here it remains for nearly a week, being turned 

 twice in the day. It is then left to dry for two or three days, 

 during which period it is turned once, being well salted at each 

 turning, and cleaned every day. When taken from the brine, it is 

 put on the salting benches, with a wooden girth round it of nearly 

 the thickness of the cheese, where it stands a few days, during which 

 time it is again salted and turned every day. It is next washed 

 and dried ; and, after remaining on the drying benches about seven 

 days, it is once more washed 'in warm water with a brush, and wiped 

 dry. In a couple of hours after this it is rubbed all over with sweet 

 whey butter, which operation is afterwards frequently repeated ; and, 

 lastly, it is deposited in the cheese or store-room, which should be 

 moderately warm, and sheltered from the access of air, lest the cheese 

 should crack, and turned every day, until it has become sufficiently 

 hard and firm. These cheeses require to be kept a long time ; and, if 

 not forced by artificial means, will scarcely be sufficiently ripe under 

 two or three years. 



As a matter of fact there are three different modes of cheese-making 

 followed in Cheshire, known as the early ripening, the medium ripen- 

 ing, and the late ripening processes. There is also a method which 

 produces a cheese that is permeated with " green mould" when ripe, 

 called " Stilton Cheshire ; " this, however, is confined to limited 

 districts in the country. The early ripening method is generally 

 followed in the spring of the year, until the middle or end of April ; 

 the medium process from that time until late autumn, or until early 

 in June, when the late ripening process is adopted and followed until 

 the end of September, changing again to the medium process as 

 the season advances. The late ripening process is not found to be 

 suitable for spring or late autumn make. 



There is a decided difference between these several methods of 

 making. In the early ripening s} 7 steni a larger quantity of rennet is 

 used, more acidity is developed, and less pressure employed than in 

 the other processes. In the medium ripening process a moderate 

 amount of acidity is developed to cause the natural drainage of the 

 whey from the curd when under press. In the late ripening system, 

 on the other hand, the development of acidity is prevented as far as 

 possible, and the whey is got out of the curd by breaking down finer, 

 using more heat, and skewering when under press. In the Stilton 

 Cheshire process a larger quantity of rennet is used and less pressure 

 is employed than in the medium or late ripening systems. The 

 various processes are fully detailed in a pamphlet (price 2cZ.) on 

 Cheshire Cheese Making, by Mr. Joseph Rigby, published by the 

 Royal Agricultural Society of England. 



The Dutch make their cheese nearly in the same manner as the 

 Cheshire, excepting that they substitute hydrochloric (or muriatic) 

 acid, which imparts to Dutch Cheese that peculiarly sharp and salt 



y 



