Neufchatel 275 
before muck cream rises to the surface. The tem- 
perature of the room may vary within rather wide 
limits, though if it is above 80° F. the curd is likely 
to be hard and tough, while if it is 60° F. or below, 
the curd is not injured, though the process is greatly 
retarded. Probably the same rule holds here as in 
cream-ripening, namely, that it is not possible to 
name a single temperature arbitrarily as the cor- 
rect one. The most important point in the whole 
process is to determine when the curd should be 
dumped from the coagulating cans upon the drain- 
ing cloths. It should stand until the whey is 
markedly acid to the taste, as much so as mildly 
ripened cream, and until the hand passed down. 
between the sides of the can and the curd notes 
that the latter is firm, with a peculiar elastic eush- 
iony feel. The amount of whey that gathers on the 
top of the curd is not a safe indication of the time 
to dump, for at high temperatures a large amount 
of -whey often separates while it is still sweet, and 
in case of gassy fermentations the curd floats and 
the whey is found at the bottom. If the cans are 
dumped before sufficient acid has developed, it will 
be very difficult to drain the curds, the flavor will 
be very bad, the texture pasty and slimy, and later, 
as the acid develops, an additional amount of whey 
will separate, making a leaky cheese. When ready, 
the cans of coagulated milk should be dumped on 
draining racks 15x24 inches, with slatted bottoms 
covered with heavy, closely-woven cotton sheeting. 
The dumping should be carefully and skilfully done, 
