Cheshire. 217 



The curd then mats and is cut and piled much as 

 in the Cheddar system, except that the pieces are 

 cut smaller and the cutting is renewed each time 

 the curd is turned, and the piling is done in such 

 a way that the curd does not flatten out. The 

 acidity and moisture of the curd is regulated dur- 

 ing this cutting and piling process. If the curd 

 is too wet, it is turned and piled frequently. If it 

 is too acid and dry it is allowed to lie longer and 

 not turned so often. When some acid is developed, 

 so that the curd takes on a glistening appearance 

 and begins to grow slightly fibrous, it is finely 

 ground in a peg mill, salted and put in the hoops 

 with strainer cloth about it but not under pressure. 

 At night it is turned and returned to the hoops. 

 The next morning it is again turned and then put 

 in the press with very slight pressure. Each suc- 

 ceeding day the turning is continued and the pres- 

 sure slightly increased until it has been pressed for 

 five days in all. It is then taken from the press 

 and allowed to stand one day in the hoops with- 

 out pressure, after which it is taken out and a 

 bandage pasted on with flour paste. It is allowed 

 to stand three days in the press-room, and then 

 put in the curing -room at a temperature not above 

 65°, and cured for three or four weeks. The 

 cheese should all be of the same height, and to 

 bring this about hoops of varying diameter are used 

 so that the variation in milk from day to day will 

 make no difference in the height of the cheese. If 

 a cheese is too high after the first or second day 



