FARM DAIRYING 



stirred to prevent the curd from matting, and the 

 temperature must be maintained. It is well to 

 keep the vat covered. 



DIPPING 



The curd is usually ready to dip in from three 

 and a quarter to three and a half hours from the 

 time the rennet is added to the milk. The right 

 condition for the curd to be in at this stage may be 

 ascertained by feeling the curd. If it is rather 

 firm, has a shiny appearance, and falls apart when 

 pressed in the hand, it is ready to have the whey 

 drawn. By the acidimeter it should show from 

 .18 to .19 per cent of acid; or when a little of the 

 curd is squeezed well in the hand and pressed 

 against a hot iron ( a stove poker answers the pur- 

 pose) and gently withdrawn, if it leaves hair-like 

 threads a quarter of an inch long on the iron, it 

 is a sign the whey should be removed. 



If the vat is. without a tap, dip the curd and 

 whey into a strainer dipper or colander, and put 

 the curd in a large cheesecloth on a level butterr 

 worker. If you have not a butter-worker, devise 

 a wooden rack^for the bottom of a large tin and 

 spread the cloth over it. The curd must be well 

 stirred for ten or fifteen minutes to allow the whey 

 to escape. 



[234] 



