282 MARKET DAIRYING 
cheese. Next place a cloth circle over the top, replace 
the muslin and bandager, and then apply full pressure 
for about 12 hours. The cheese is now taken out of the 
hoop, any folds or irregularities in the bandage 
straightened out, and then washed off with hot water 
and put back into the hoop inverted. Press about ten 
hours longer and remove the cheese from the hoop and 
put it into a suitable place for curing. Remove the mus- 
lin cloths but leave the cheese cloth circles on the cheese. 
Ripening or Curing. After leaving the press the 
cheese should be placed in a cool, damp room with ample 
ventilation. Keep the temperature of the curing room 
at 60° F. or below. The curing or ripening process, 
which consists of the transformation of insoluble into 
soluble casein, requires from two to eight months, accord- 
ing to the amount of rennet extract and salt used, amount 
of moisture in the cheese and the temperature at which 
it is ripened. The higher the temperature and moisture, 
the quicker the cheese will ripen. During the first two 
weeks the cheese should be turned and rubbed daily, and 
if any portion of it is not covered with cheese cloth, grease 
should be applied to prevent cracking. 
The Value of Low Curing Temperatures. A subject 
which deserves more attention than has heretofore been 
given it is the value of cold storage in connection with 
cheese factories. Many factories are. already thus equip- 
ped and the general opinion of the owners of these factor- 
ies is that the advantages afforded return very good inter- 
est on the money invested. The chief advantages afforded 
by cold storage are less shrinkage and a better quality 
of cheese. 
Experiments have shown that with cheese weighing 
about 65 pounds, the shrinkage during the first week, 
