Tin: DA] 313 



rh" \\lu-y. IK-! to lia^irn tlio sp[>nr;ition, lest larger 

 ,' tho tatty maitor should bo squeezed out of th<i 

 iMinl and the choose should thus be rendered poorer than 



!. Hut in some places the practice prevails of washing 

 l ho cunl with hot water after the whey has been partially 



:-atod from it. Thus at Goudn in Holland, after the 



.r part of the whey has been gradually removed, a 



quantity uf hot water is added, and allowed to remain upon 



it lor at least a quarter of an hour. The heat makes the 



ae more solid and causes it to keep better. In Italy, 



;u the s<>-cullod pear-shaped caccio-cavallo cheeses and 

 tin- round palltmi chooses of Gravina, in the Neapolitan ter- 

 ritory, are made from curd, which, after being scalded with 

 boiling whey, is cut into slices, kneaded in boiling water, 

 worked with the hand till it is perfectly tenacious and elastic, 

 and then made into shapes. The water in which the curd is 

 washed, after standing 24 hours, throws up much oily mat- 

 ter, which is skimmed off and made into butter. 



The separation of the whey is a part of the process upon 

 which the quality of the cheese in a considerable degree 

 depends. In Cheshire more time and attention is devoted to 

 the perfect extraction of the whey than in almost any other 

 district. Indeed, when it is considered that the whey con- 

 tains sugir and lactic acid, which may undergo decomposi- 

 tion, and a quantity of rennet which may bring on fermenta- 

 tion, by both of which processes the flavor of the cheeses must 

 be considerably aifected, it will appear of great importance 

 that the whey should be as completely removed from the 

 curd as it can possibly be. To aid in effecting this a curd- 

 mill, for chopping it fine after the whey is strained off, is in 

 use in many of the large English daries, and a very ingei- 

 ious, and I believe effectual, pneumatic cheese-press for suck- 

 ing out the whey was lately invented. But the way in which 

 the whey is separated is not a matter of indifference, and has 

 much influence upon the quality of the cheese. Thus in Nor- 

 folk, according to Marshall, when the curd is fairly set, the 

 dairy-maid bares her arm, plunges it into the curd, and with 

 the help of her wooden ladle breaks up minutely and inti- 

 mately mixes the curd with the whey. This she does for 10 

 or 15 minutes, after which the curd is allowed to subside, and 

 the whey is drawn off. By this agitation the whey must 

 carry off more of the butter and the cheese must be poorer. 

 In Cheshire and Ayrshire, again, the curd is cut with a knife, 

 but is gently used and slowly pressed till it is dry enough to 



