VARIETIES OF CHEESE : DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSES. 13 



intermittently until the curd is sufficiently firm. This is determined by 

 squeezing a handful, which should fall apart immediately on being released. 

 The whey is then drawn. At the same time the acid should have reached about 

 0.20 per cent, or one-fourth of an inch, on the hot iron, which latter is deter- 

 mined by measuring the length of strings when the curd is touched to a hot 

 iron. The curd is then matted about 4 inches deep, sometimes in the bottom 

 of the vat, sometimes on racks covered with a coarse linen cloth. After it has 

 remained there long enough to stick together it is cut into rectangular pieces 

 easy to handle, which are turned frequently and finally piled two to four deep ; 

 in the meanwhile the temperature of the curd is kept at about 90° F. When the 

 curd has broken down until it has the smooth feeling of velvet, which requires 

 from one to three hours, it is milled by means of a machine, which cuts it into 

 pieces the size of a finger. It is then stirred on the bottom of the vat until 

 whey ceases to run, which requires from one-half to one and one-half hours, 

 when it is salted at the rate of 2 or 21 pounds of salt to 100 pounds of milk. 

 It is then ready to be put into the press. The curd is put into tinned-iron hoops 

 of the proper size, which are lined with cheesecloth bandages. The hoops 

 are put into presses and great pressure is applied by means of screws. The 

 next morning the cheese is removed from the hoops and put on shelves in a 

 curing room. Formerly it was kept in a curing room as long as six months, 

 but at the present time it is covered with a coat of paraffin and put into cold 

 storage when from 3 to 12 days old. There is a growing demand on the part 

 of consumers for mild cheese, and consequently ripening must be carried on 

 at a temperature below 50° F. 



An important point in the process of manufacturing Cheddar cheese is the 

 development of the desired quantity of acid. A maximum quantity in the 

 whey that can be developed without injuring the texture of the cheese is 

 aimed at, and the proper breaking down of the curd before milling and salting 

 is attributed to the acid. It is very probable that too much weight has been 

 placed on the desirability of a maximum development of acid, and that practi- 

 cally as good cheese can be produced without the high acid. 



Some of the details in the manufacture of Cheddar cheese are varied to 

 some extent, and other names may be used to designate the cheese so made. 

 A stirred-curd cheese is one in which the curd particles are not allowed to mat 

 together after the whey is drawn. The curd is stirred occasionally to prevent 

 this matting process, but it differs from the sweet-curd cheese, as acid is 

 allowed to develop before salting and pressing. Formerly there was a com- 

 paratively large quantity of stirred-curd cheese made, but very little, if any, 

 is made at the present time. 



A washed-curd cheese varies from the regular Cheddar process in having the 

 milled curd subjected to cold water for a short period. This process is 

 evidently practiced to force the curd to take up a small percentage of the 

 water and increase the yield. It results in a cheese which apparently breaks 

 down or ripens much more rapidly than cheese made in the ordinary way. 

 This ripening is very likely not due to the excess of moisture, but to some other 

 unexplained reason. Some States have prohibited the use of the State brand 

 on washed-curd cheese. 



CHESHIRE. 



This cheese is one of the oldest and most popular of the English varieties. 

 It is a rennet cheese made from cows' milk, unskimmed, and is named for 

 Chester County, England, where it is largely produced. It is made in cylin- 

 drical shape, from 14 to 16 inches in diameter, and weighs from 50 to 70 pounds. 

 In making this cheese sufficient annatto is used to give the product a very high 



