CHEESE MAKING. 337 



The considerable difference in the quality of these 

 samples of cheese is not any exact criterion of the market 

 values. The excessive quantity of fat in the first men- 

 tioned gives no proportional money value to it in the 

 market, the quality most desired in cheese being due to 

 the manner of making and curing it, rather than to the 

 amount of butter fat that may be contained in it. This, 

 however, is to be taken as a general rule only, and one 

 to which there are some exceptions. Thus, while it is 

 true that by certain methods of making and ripening a 

 cheese from half skim or skimmed milk may be ad- 

 vanced in value over some full milk cheese, yet there are 

 some kinds of cheese, as the exquisite English Stilton, 

 which has cream added to the new milk and contains one 

 quart of cream to ten quarts of new milk, which bear a 

 very high value in the market ; but this, again, is due 

 quite as much to the peculiar method of making, by 

 which a most delicious flavor is given to it, as to the large 

 quantity of fat contained in it. 



But while quality is conferred upon cheese by care and 

 skill in making, and by its contents of fat, there are 

 some other causes for the variation in quality. Soil and 

 climate have something to do with quality, for they con- 

 trol to some extent the character of the herbage, and 

 undoubtedly food has much to do with the flavor of its 

 products. The flesh of animals acquires certain qualities 

 from the feeding ; this is unquestionable. The South- 

 down mutton, fed upon the short rich herbage of the 

 ^* downs," or hilly rolling seaside pastures on the chalk 

 districts of southern" England, and the tender high- 

 flavored meat of the Welsh mountain sheep are examples 

 of this fact. The hams of Westphalia, fed upon the 

 mast of the forests, also have a most agreeable flavor. The 

 wines of some vineyards surpass those of all others in 

 richness of flavor, and the hops of certain localities sur- 

 pass all others in desirable qualities. Consistently with 



