CUTTING AND HEATING THE CURD. 59 
finished with the perpendicular knife. The blades in this knife 
run in the direction of the longest dimension of the knife. 
The cheese-maker should not wait for the whey to rise over 
the curd before finishing the curd cutting, for the pieces of curd 
will get out of place, and the curd being harder will not be so 
easily cut. 
125. How to Insert the Perpendicular Knife. 
One should next start cutting in the same place as with the 
other knife, inserting it in the curd in the same way, for it has 
cross braces which are really horizontal blades, and one must 
avoid jamming the curd with them. Next draw the knife over 
the same course that the other knife went, and we have the curd 
cut into strips one-half inch square and the length of the vat 
long. 
Next cut crosswise of the vat, again being careful not to 
jam the curd, and we then have it cut into half-inch cubes. 
If we are making up slow working milk, this amount of cut- 
ting may be enough, but if it is necessary to cut finer, it can be 
done by cutting alternately lengthwise and crosswise. The 
strokes should now be much quicker, as the curd has been get- 
ting harder and finer during the cutting process and will pass 
between the blades, and it is therefore necessary to use a quick 
stroke to cut it. 
126. Rapidity of Stroke a Factor. 
When a cheese maker says he cuts a curd a certain number 
of times, he does not convey the proper idea, for the rapidity of 
his strokes is a great factor, and if he cuts lengthwise of the 
vat six times and crosswise six times, and cuts with a slow mo- 
tion, the curd may not be cut any finer than if it had been cut 
only four times each way with a quick stroke. 
HEATING THE CURD, 
127. Keep Curd Moving. 
As has been said, the curd is eut to allow the whey to es- 
cape, but if the curd is not kept moving, it will settle to the 
bottom of the vat and mat together again. Therefore, as soon 
as the curd has been cut, begin stirring it by hand or with 
a wire basket made for the purpose. 
