CASEOUS MATTER. 217 



made from a mixture of cows' milk with the milk of sheep 

 or goats. 



I will here give a hasty sketch of the most usual pro* 

 cesses by which cheese is made. 



When the curd has been deprived of its whey, except- 

 ing what may ooze from it in the vats or upon the straw, it 

 undergoes various degrees of decomposition, which at differ- 

 ent periods furnish several kinds of food. 



A new or white cheese gradually shrinks, and its surface 

 becomes covered with a crust or rind, whilst the interior 

 preserves more of its softness : at the end of some time fer- 

 mentation takes place, when it exhales an odor which be- 

 comes more and more sharp ; a similar change likewise 

 takes place in the taste : this stage of decomposition is the 

 most favorable for disposing of white cheese. 



When cows' milk that has been skimmed is used for 

 cheese, the article produced from it is always dry ; but if 

 the curd be formed from milk retaining the cream, the curd 

 contains, in addition to the caseous matter, all the princi- 

 ples of the cream ; and, when treated in the usual manner, 

 a white cheese is obtained from it which is not slow in 

 changing its consistence : the interior of such a cheese 

 softens and takes the form and nearly all the character of 

 cream. Cheese in this state is delicious to the palate ; but 

 it soon undergoes a putrid decomposition which changes its 

 quality. 



There is a very delicate and much sought for prepara- 

 tion, which is improperly called cheese ; this is made by 

 churning fresh cream till it has acquired a degree of con- 

 sistency, without the butter's being separated from it. 



All kinds of cheese cannot be kept good a long time ; 

 but if the curd be strongly pressed so as to extract all the 

 whey, and afterwards carefully salted, cheeses may be 

 made of it which can be preserved a considerable length 

 of time. To effbct this, the curd is divided with a wooden 

 knife, kneaded, and squeezed with the hands ; and when 

 all parts of it have been well worked, it is put to drain. 

 As soon as the whey has ceased to drop from it, it is again 

 kneaded and submitted to a considerable pressure, by 

 which all the liquid particles which can be extracted from 

 it, are forced out. 



When the curd has by these operations been brought to 

 a due degree of dryness, it is salted : this is done by again 

 carefully kneading the curd and afterwards breaking it 

 19 



