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time. The temperature of the cheese-room is kept at 

 sixty-five degrees. The cheese is ready for sale at the 

 end of three months. The weights of these cheeses are 

 from seventy-five to one hundred and twenty pounds, 

 this being dependent upon the size of the dairy. 



The American Cheddar method differs but slightly 

 from the above. The milk is warmed to about eighty de- 

 grees, the proper temperature for coagulation ; it is then 

 well stirred to insure the even distribution of heat, and 

 the rennet is added and thoroughly mingled by stirring. 

 The curdling is complete in forty to sixty minutes, when 

 the mass is stirred, or broken by a many-bladed curd-knife 

 into small blocks to facilitate its separation from the whey. 

 When the curd has acquired sufficient firmness, it is more 

 thoroughly broken, either by the hands or by what is 

 known as an agitator. After the curd is broken up, heat 

 is applied by means of steam pipes until the whey and 

 curd together are brought to a temperature of about 100 

 degrees. During this heating the curd is stirred, and 

 after the '' cooking" is complete it is left to rest, with 

 occasional stirrings, until a proper degree of approach 

 to acidity is observed in the whey. The whey is then 

 drawn off, and the curd is heaped in the vats and left to 

 become sour. Upon the exact degree of acid that is de- 

 veloped in the curd, depends, in a great measure, the 

 quality of the cheese ; and the skillful practice of an 

 experienced cheese maker is perhaps more needed just 

 here than in any other part of the process. Those who 

 need it can use what is known as the hot-iron test ; this 

 is to take a bar, or rod, of iron heated to a point some- 

 what less than a dull red heat, and bring it .into contact 

 with a piece of curd. If, when the hot iron is drawn 

 from the curd, it brings with it a quantity of glutinous 

 strings, the curd is ready for removal from the vats. It 

 is dipped out from these with the curd dipper, a pail having 

 a flat side, into a cooler, the vat being tipped by means 



