88 THE DAIRY OF THE FARM. 



well as morning. In general, however, the evening's milk 

 is put in thin layers in the cheese-tub and other vessels to 

 cool during the night, tin vessels of cold water being put 

 to stand it in in order to subject it to as large a cooling 

 surface as possible. In the morning, if much cream has 

 risen, it is partly skimmed, and, if necessary, warmed up 

 with some milk and added to the morning's milk, so as to 

 bring the whole to about 80. In the summer time, how- 

 ever, the rennet has often to be added when the milk is 

 naturally warmer than this. Enough fresh-made rennet 

 is added to set the whole in an hour or less. After the 

 curd has been broken with the common sieve curd-braker, 

 used gently for a sufficient time, a presser is used a sort 

 of heavy metallic sieve " follower," which sinks gradually 

 through the whey and ultimately lies upon the curd, en- 

 abling the baling out of the whey. After this has been 

 for the most part taken out, this follower is forced hard 

 down en the curd so as to squeeze and still further separate 

 the whey from it. The curd may then be slightly salted, 

 though this is not always done at that time. It is broken 

 by hand into a vat and pressed ; taken out and broken up 

 again, re-vatted and again pressed ; and this may be done 

 more than once as often, indeed, as seems to be required, 

 It is at length finally vatted, in sizes of about 4 to the cwt.; 

 its whole surface is made to take in as much salt as it will 

 hold by rubbing and pressing ; this gets liquified by the 

 exuding moisture and is absorbed. It is dry-clothed and 

 changed in the press daily, and is in the press four or five 

 days before being finally removed to the cheese-room, where 

 it is turned at gradually-increasing intervals until ready 

 for the market. 



In some districts, and notably in Lancashire, no salt is 



