CflEESE MAKIKG. 343 



tions more precisely and more safely by using such a 

 material as is always of tbe same strength and effective- 

 ness, than by the too common ''rule of thumb" or hap- 

 hazard or guesswork method in use in dairies. The 

 temperature too should be noted exactly by an accurately 

 graduated thermometer, which should be tested carefully 

 before it is used ; as it is not uncommon for the cheap 

 thermometers in use to vary two or three or even five 

 degrees, and such variation might be fatal to success 

 and a continual source of unsatisfactory work, the reason 

 for which would perplex the unsuspecting dairyman. 



Acidity is not a necessary element in making curd. 

 Indeed it is at once the surprise and the bane of the cheese 

 maker, and must be guarded against with the greatest 

 care. Acid is produced no doubt in the milk by the action 

 of the peculiar organism or ferment of the rennet, bat it is 

 instantly neutralized by its own effect ; viz., the precipi- 

 tation of the caseine and the formation of the curd. 

 Thus the curd is sweet and the whey is sweet, until, by 

 a process of internal change in the curd, lactic acid is 

 formed from the sugar held in the moisture of the curd 

 and acidity becomes induced. This subject, however, is 

 too important to be passed over lightly, and will be more 

 fully treated of when the chemistry of cheese making is 

 considered further on in this chapter. 



There are several methods of making cheese, each dif- 

 fering in some important particular. The most frequent 

 is by using the whole milk, or milk half skimmed ; some 

 is made by adding cream to the new milk, and some is 

 made of skimmed milk. At least one very popular kind 

 of cheese is made of ewe's milk, and several kinds have 

 some foreign matter, as herbs or spices added to the 

 card. The greatest variety in cheese making, however, 

 is in regard to the curing, and, in fact, this is by far the 

 most important part of tlie industry, and requires the 

 most experience and skill in its practice. 



