200 DAIRY FARMING 



to stand quietly at a temperature of about 70 to 75 de- 

 grees F. for 24 hours, when a firm curd will have formed. 

 The curd is now carefully dumped into a cotton bag or 

 strainer and allowed to drain until all free moisture 

 has escaped. Salt is next added at the rate of one and 

 one-half ounces per ten pounds of cheese. The palat- 

 ability of the cheese is much improved by adding a small 

 amount of rich cream to it. 



Fairly good results may be obtained by omitting the 

 rennet. 



Starter Method. This method yields the highest 

 quality of cheese when fine flavored starter is used. Put 

 the skim-milk into a vat and sour it with a good starter 

 at a temperature of between .90 and 95 degrees F. The 

 more starter used, up to 25 per cent, the better the qual- 

 ity of the cheese. Thoroughly mix the starter with the 

 skim-milk and allow to remain undisturbed until firmly 

 curdled. When this stage is reached, cut the curd, the 

 same as in cheddar cheese making, and at once begin 

 stirring by hand. Raise the temperature to 104 degrees 

 F., keeping the curd constantly stirred during the heat- 

 ing process. After this the curd should be stirred occa- 

 sionally for about 40 minutes, when the whey may be 

 drained off. 



The draining is best accomplished in a tin strainer 

 covered with a piece of cheesecloth. The curd must be 

 hand-stirred as soon as it has been dumped into the 

 strainer, but the stirring should be done very gently at 

 the start to prevent loss by mashing the curd particles. 

 Continue the stirring until the curd is firm enough to pre- 

 vent the particles sticking together, which usually re- 

 quires about five minutes. As soon as the curd has been 



