68 CHEESE MAKING. 
The curd can be cut once or twice down. the length of the 
vat, and across the vat into pieces eight inches wide. 
141. Turning the Curd. 
Begin at the lower end to turn the curd, for it will te more 
convenient to place the hands under the curd on the side toward 
the upper end of the vat, and roll it over than on the other side. 
In so doing, it is not necesary to lift the piece, thereby breaking 
it. Continue turning the other pieces in the same manner, till 
the last piece at the upper end of the vat is reached, then, by a 
pull of the cloth, it is turned over. Cover it up and let it stand 
to mat still closer. By using racks, the whey runs through when 
the curd is turned over. Watch the curd, and if whey should 
collect between the pieces, turn them over and let it run off. 
The curd should be turned from time to time, and much oftener 
at first than later on, to facilitate the expulsion of the whey. 
After a while the curd will begin to get a grain to it, and will 
tear like the meat on a chicken’s breast. 
142. Pin-Holey Curds. 
If we have what is ealled a ‘‘gassy’’ or ‘‘pin-holey’’ curd, the 
gas will begin to form in little holes about the size of a pin head. 
Through the flattening of the curd, these holes are flattened and 
the gas escapes. Sometimes these pin holes appear before the 
eurd is taken out of the whey, and, if they are plentiful enough, 
the curd will float on the surface of the whey, and we have 
what is called a ‘‘floater.’’ But this does not occur very often, 
if we draw the whey in time. It used to occur quite often with 
bad milk, when the curd was left in the granular form, and 
more acid was run in the whey. The pin holes were not flat- 
tened, and consequently appeared in the cheese. Such curds 
are often accompanied by a bad flavor. They are probably 
caused from bad ferments, but may be due to bad-flavored food. 
Clover and watercress, when eaten by the cows, have been known 
to produce a curd with pin holes. 
Some of the taints are much more persistent than others. 
As a usual thing, a taint cannot be gotten entirely out of the 
cheese. 
