280 MARKET DAIRYING 
100° F. in about 30 to 45 minutes. After this temper- 
ature has been reached, the curd may be stirred at inter- 
vals of 10 minutes until ready to remove the whey. It 
is important to keep the temperature close to 100° F. 
Drawing Off the Whey: When a bunch of curd is 
pressed between the two hands and on relieving the pres- 
sure the particles fall apart readily, the curd is ready for 
the removal of the whey. When this firmness is reached, 
the whey should show 0.17 to 0.18 per cent acid. When 
the milk is set at the proper ripeness, the degree of firm- 
ness and amount of acid indicated above are reached in 
two and one-half to three hours after adding the rennet 
extract. 
Remove the whey through a faucet or by means of a 
siphon. Place perforated wooden racks, about two inches 
high, at one end of the vat and cover them with a piece 
of muslin or French crash. Scoop the curd upon the racks, 
which have the advantage of draining the curd quickly 
and also permits the use of hot water under the curd to 
assist in keeping the temperature at 98° F., a tempera- 
ture which should be maintained up to within a short 
time of salting. 
Piling and Matting the Curd. As soon as removed 
from the whey, the curd is stirred a few minutes, spread 
about six inches deep upon the racks and then allowed 
to mat 15 minutes, after which it is cut into strips about 
8 by 12 inches and then turned. After another 15 min- 
utes, turn again and pile the strips two layers deep; 15 
minutes later turn again and pile three layers deep. 
Usually after one and a half to two hours matting the 
curd tears like chicken breast, which indicates that it is 
ready to mill. During the entire matting process the 
curd should be kept at a temperature of 98° F. 
