RENNET AROMATICS SUBSTITUTES. 257 



maw or stomach of a calf which has been fed on 

 milk only, and killed before digestion has been per- 

 fected. This should be perfectly sound and un- 

 tainted. The maw of a house, or milk, not grass- 

 fed lamb, may possibly answer the purpose. Take 

 out the curd and wash the bag, after which, replace 

 the curd with a considerable quantity of salt : put 

 down the bag or bags in a jar, with a very strong 

 brine of salt and tepid water, in the proportion of 

 two quarts to each bag. After some days, the maws 

 may be taken out, and with an additional quantity 

 of salt, each stretched upon a bow, and hung up to 

 dry for use. The usual application is as follows ; 

 the night before cheese making, one or two inches of 

 a maw is cut off and steeped in a few table-spoonfuls 

 of warm water ; on the following morning the liquor 

 is strained off, and poured into the milk. One inch 

 is generally held sufficient to curdle the milk of five 

 cows. Some persons put rose-leaves, sweet-briar, 

 cloves, and various aromatics into the rennet, for the 

 purpose of imparting a fine flavour to the cheese. 

 The rennet bag, again salted and dried, during a week 

 or two, near the fire, may be of further use. Any 

 acid will coagulate milk; and in the Dutch dairies, the 

 muriatic acid, or spirit of salt, is used, but it imparts 

 to the cheese a sharp and disagreeable saline flavour, 

 which, however, is said to have the advantage of being 

 destructive to mites. Various substitutes are in 

 print for the rennet of the calf s maw, such as a de- 

 coction of the flowers of yellow-ladies'-bed-straw, or 

 of spear -grass, the lesser spear wort; but I much 

 doubt the efficacy of such simples: and in case of 



