292 THE OX. 



any other part of England. The cheese of Cheshire is pre- 

 pared from the milk of the morning, to which is added that 

 of the previous evening, with its cream. It undergoes a 

 more laborious manipulation than that of Gloucester, and it is 

 more largely saturated with salt. It is not only salted when 

 in the state of curd, but it is rubbed externally, and steeped 

 in brine. The cheeses are made very large, weighing from 

 60 to 100 lb., and more. They are not regarded as matured 

 for use until they are two years old. They have a strong 

 taste, which increases with age, and are altogether different 

 in texture and flavour from the mild and fragrant cheeses of 

 Gloucester and the adjoining districts. But they keep ad- 

 mirably well, and are more largely carried to other countries 

 than any of the other cheeses of England. The same kind of 

 cheese is largely produced in Shropshire on the south, and 

 likewise in Lancashire on the north. 



Turning to the eastern counties, the extensive district 

 stretching from the Humber northward, and comprehending 

 the counties of York, Durham, and Northumberland, neces- 

 sarily yields a large quantity of milk, and all the products of 

 the dairy. But this is rather a breeding and fattening than 

 a dairy district ; and the cultivation of Cows for milk is sub- 

 ordinate to the other purposes of the grazier. The main 

 productions of the dairy are milk and butter, which, with the 

 cheese produced, are chiefly, though not exclusively, destined 

 for the supply of the numerous population of the country 

 itself. The cheese of this part of England differs greatly 

 from the strong and harsh cheese of Cheshire ; but it is in- 

 ferior in delicacy and flavour to that of the south-western 

 counties. In contact with Yorkshire to the west, is Derby- 

 shire, in which numerous dairies are established. The cheese 

 of Derbyshire is known in the market by its own name ; the 

 butter used in the same district is chiefly derived from whey. 



Crossing the Humber to the south, we enter the district 

 where the richer cheeses, with an excess of cream, are pro- 

 duced. Thev are termed Stilton, from the market-town of 



