FIRST CENTURY OF DAIRYING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 



write something very new state something that is very old ; and on 

 the other hand we get something that is very new from the old 

 writers. 



The organisms and substances concerned in the fermentation of 

 milk may be divided for convenience into two distinct classes namely, 

 organised and unorganised ferments. The former include bacteria, 

 which by their growth cause change or fermentation. The latter, on 

 the other hand, are chemical ferments, which arc substances devoid of 

 life, such as rennet and pepsin. 



The normal souring o-f milk was at one time regarded as a charac- 

 teristic of the milk itself. Pasteur's discoveries have taught us dif- 

 ferently. He succeeded in locating the trouble, and afterward culti- 

 vated the various forms of bacteria in beef broth, gelatine, &c. Fer- 

 ments cultivated in this manner are manufactured and sold to cheese- 

 makers throughout the dairy world, and are described as " culture--" 



Rennet is a preparation usually made from the stomach of a cali 

 and has the power of coagulating the casein of the milk in a short 

 time. 



It has been said that i-f bacteria are desirable allies of the butter 

 maker, they are absolutely necessary to the cheese maker. Without 

 their agency the butter, though it may taste flat, is still usable, but 

 cheese is worthless without them. New cheese is not palatable ; it 

 tastes like fresh milk curd, and is not at all pleasant. The proper 

 flavour of cheese appears only as a result of a ripening process which 

 is allowed to continue for several weeks or months, the flavour slowly 

 growing stronger all the while. Tt is evident that the presence of 

 bacteria in cheese is, ther-iore, inevitable. 



Mr. Thomas Binks, of Broughton Village, Illawarra, who is con- 

 sidered one of the few most practical cheese makers in this State, 

 says : " In cheese making acidity is the greatest enemy, as well as 

 being the greatest friend of the cheese maker. Curd salted too sweet 

 will turn strong and rancid. You must, therefore, wait until sufficient 

 acidity is in the curd before adding the salt. I call this degree of 

 acidity ' Cheddar acidity/ But your milk must be sweet to start with. 

 Sour milk will cause cheese to crumble when placed on the table for 

 consumption. It is, therefore, an all important item to be in a posi- 

 tion to regulate the night's milk. If there cannot be some method 

 adopted -for cooling the night's milk in the summer it would be better 

 to give up the idea of cheese making." 



" If the night's milk can be cooled down to. say, /odeg. Fahr., I 

 can calculate the quantity of acid development in the vat next morn- 

 ing provided all the utensils were properly cleaned and in perfect 

 condition. The night's milk receives my best attention, and 1 consider 

 when it is sweet at 7odeg. Fahr (of course on sultry nights the milk 

 must be still further reduced in temperature). I cannot 'fail to make 

 good cheese 7odeg. Fahr. is my fancy temperature for night's milk 

 in order to make a substantial commencement with my batch of 

 cheese. 



"I commence operations as soon as the last cow is milked in the 

 morning. Mixing night and morning's milk together, then heating the 

 whole lot up to 86deg. Fahr.. add to the milk the desired amount of 

 Hansen's cheese coloring, and stir gently until distributed throughout 

 tin milk : then add llansen's rennet to suit the purpose, and stir 

 vigorously, and then slowing down. This operation should occupy 

 altogether about four minutes. Then cover up for from forty to sixty 

 minute^, about which time the curd will be ready for cutting. Cut 

 the curd with the hori/.ontal knife first, then use the vertical knife. 

 Then Mir with the Innds. heating the curd un slowly till loodeg. Fahr. 



290. 



