“Gassy” Curds 265 
storage (30° to 35° F.) and to leave them there for 
several months till fully ripe. This practice is par- 
ticularly common with cheese intended for winter or 
export trade. During the early part of the curing 
process the cheeses should be turned upon the shelves 
every day until a sufficient amount of water has evapo- 
rated, so that they no longer tend to lose their shape. 
Difficulties likely to occur in cheddar cheese mak- 
ing.—The chief difficulty in cheddar cheese making 
comes from the presence in the milk of germs 
which produce fermentations that are undesirable 
These fermentations usually begin during the cook- 
ing process, and continue through cheddaring. Or- 
dinarily they evolve a considerable amount of gas, 
causing what are known as floating or gassy curds, 
and are usually accompanied by disagreeable odors 
and flavors. The formation of the gas in the curd 
gives it a sponge-like texture, and when the par- 
ticles of curd are cut across they are seen to be 
full of minute holes, the condition usually denom- 
inated pin-holes. The best means of treating this 
trouble is, of course, prevention; but even with the 
utmost care by makers of experience, milk contain- 
ing the germs of these fermentations will find its 
way into the vat. 
In many eases the trouble from gassy and tainted 
milk is caused by the milk of one or two dairies, 
and in exceptional cases the milk of a single cow 
may infect a whole vat. The particular dairies or 
even cows that are causing the trouble may usually be 
detected by employing one of the fermentation tests 
