254 SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF DAIRYING. 



lies 19 kilometres N.E. of Amsterdam. They are fat round cheeses, and 

 weigh usually 2 to 4 kilos., and have a diameter of 11 to 15 cms. The 

 cheeses are very seldom made larger or heavier. The heaviest cheeses weigh 

 about 12 kilos, each. Those prepared in the neighbourhood of Hoorn are 

 considered the finest. Those which are prepared in the neighbourhood of 

 Beemster Alkmaar are also highly prized, and are only very slightly in- 

 ferior to the cheeses which come from Edam. The small so-called "prasent" 

 cheeses are the finest quality prepared. The smaller cheeses are divided 

 into May cheese, 2 to 5 kilos., Summer cheese, 1-5 to 2 kilos., and Autumn 

 cheese, 2 kilos. The Edam cheeses form a very important article of export 

 from Holland, and find their way as far as tropical countries, like China 

 and Australia. They keep for several years. As a rule, those destined 

 for export are coloured externally a glittering red; occasionally also 

 yellow, and sometimes partially red and blue in alternate segments. 



The milk is placed in a wooden vessel, at 32 to 34 C. in summer, and 

 in winter at 34 to 36 C., and thickened in eight to fifteen minutes. 

 Along with the milk a small quantity of annatto colouring matter is put 

 in. The curd is very carefully broken, so that no loss can take place in 

 the fat. The breaking of the curd ought to occupy from four to seven 

 minutes' time. (This statement, as well as those following, is based on the 

 assumption that from 100 to 150 kilos, of milk are being treated.) After 

 the breaking the curd is left for two or three minutes, is drawn together 

 from the bottom of the vat by means of a wooden bowl with hollowed 

 surface, the bulk of the whey is removed, and is pressed into the vat four 

 times in such a way that the bowl rests on the curd with a weight of 

 10 to 20 kilos. After pressure has been continued for four or five 

 minutes, the whey which flows out is removed. When this operation, which 

 should last, on the whole, from fifteen to sixteen minutes, is finished, the 

 temperature of the curd should be in winter at the lowest 28 C., and in 

 summer at the highest 32 C. If the curd has not the proper temperature, 

 that should be imparted to it by pouring over it whey or water of a suit- 

 able temperature. The curd, when brought to the proper temperature, is 

 removed from the cheese-vat into wooden moulds, strongly pressed with 

 the hand, and turned two or three times. Care should be taken that the 

 holes for permitting the outflow of the whey are not choked up. In order 

 to prevent the cheese mass cooling too quickly during moulding, this 

 operation should not occupy at the most more than four or five minutes 

 time. In summer the precaution should be taken, in filling the mould, of 

 adding a small quantity of salt in the middle of the cheese, or treating the 

 curd, before it is put into the moulds, with a little salt water. As soon as 

 the cheese has become sufficiently firmly pressed, it is removed from 

 the mould, and kept for one or two minutes in a bath of whey, which 



