284 farmers' and mechanics' journal. 



cows are pastured. The process, aocordiii^i to Pryce, (Bath Pa- 

 j)ers, vol. vii.) is hs follows : — the evening's milk, after heing skim- 

 med in the morning, and standing till ten o' clock, and the morning's 

 milk skinuned about two hoars after it is drawn from the cow, are 

 mixed together. The mixture is then suspended in a copper caul- 

 dron over a wooden tire, and frequently stirred till it attains about 

 82° of Fahroidicit ; the rennet is then put in, and the copper being 

 rctnoved from the (ire. the coagulation quickly takes place, and the 

 curd is afterwards worked with a stick till it is reduced to a small 

 grain. The iiihi\^ now occupies the surface, and a part of it being 

 taken out, the cauldron is again turned over the tire, and its con- 

 tents brought to nearly a boiling heat. A little salfron is now add- 

 ed to impart color, the whole being all the while well stirred, and 

 the superintendent examining it from time to time with his finger 

 and thumb, to ascertain the exact moment when the curd shall 

 have become sufficiently solid. When this is the case, the caul- 

 dron is removed from the fire, and the curd allowed to subside ; 

 three-fourths of the whev is then drawn olf, water poured round 

 the bottom of t!ie cauldron outside to cool it, so as to admit of a 

 cloth being passed below the curd, which is thus brought up and 

 pltT.ed in a tub to clear. VVhen drained, it is put into a wooden 

 hoop, and about half a hundred weight laid on it for half an hour ; 

 the cloth is then removed, and the cheese being replaced in the 

 hoop is laid on a shelf; here it remains for two or three days, at 

 the end of which, it is sprinkled over with salt ; this sprinkling is 

 rcneated everv second day for about thirt} days if it be summer, 

 and for about forty or fifty-five days if it be winter, afler which, 

 no further attention is required. The best Parmesan Cheese is 

 that which has been kept for three or four years, hut none is ever 

 carried to market for sale, until it has been kept at least six months. 

 Westphalia Cheese is of the skim-milk kind, and of a different 

 character from any of those hitherto described. The cream is al- 

 lowed to remain on the milk till the latter is in a sub-acid state ; it 

 is then removed, and the milk placed near a fire spontaneously to 

 coagulate. The curd is then put into a coarse bag, and loaded 

 with ponderous stones to express the whey ; in this dry state it is 

 rubbed between the hands, and crumbled into an empty clean milk 

 vat, where it remains from three to eight days according as the 

 cheese is intended to be strong or mild. During this part of the 

 process, which is called mellowing, the curd undergoes the putrid 

 fermentation, and acquires a coat or skin on the top, before it is 

 taken out of the vessel, and kneaded into balls or cylinders, with 

 the addition of a considerable portion of carraways, salt, and 

 butter ; or occasionally a small quantity of pounded pepper and 

 cloves. When over-mellowed, a third part of fresh curds, likewise 

 crumbled into small pieces, is superadded, to prevent or correct 

 its putrid tendency. As the balls or cheeses do not exceed three 

 or four ounces each in weight, they soon dry in the open air, and 

 are then fit for use. When nearly dry, they are sometimes, for the 

 palate of epicures, suspended in a wood fire chimney, in a net, for 



