58 DUNLOP CHEESE. 



ation for cheese vat) is selected, and a cheese-cloth 

 being spread within it, the prepared curd is firmly 

 pressed in with the hand, the corners of the cloth 

 being brought up over all, and the contained curd, it 

 may be, jutting some three to four inches above the 

 edge of this chessat. By this time it is rather past 

 noon of the day. Some then place the chessat in 

 front of the kitchen fire, with the lid weighted, and 

 standing there for most of the afternoon, frequently 

 turned so as to equalize the heat, and at evening it is 

 put in the cheese-press. Others warm the prepared 

 curd in a vessel before the fire prior to making up 

 the cheese. During the process of pressing, too, the 

 chessat is occasionally brought to the kitchen fire. 

 ... A certain degree of heat, tending to improve 

 the quality as well as facilitate the pressing, must be 

 kept up within the curd whilst becoming solid. . . . 

 '' The made-up cheese we put to press towards 

 evening is taken out of the chessat on morning of 

 second day, and is then — in very many dairies, 

 though not by all — scalded with the cloth on for 

 near an hour in hot water fully as hot as can be tholed 

 with the hand. It is wiped when taken from the hot 

 bath, wrapped in a dry cloth, and put to press again. 

 It is removed and dry cloths substituted at noon and 

 evening of same day, reversing the cheese in chessat 

 at each remove. Like performance has to be gone 

 through, — it may be only once in some dairies, per- 

 haps twice in others, and even three times occasion- 

 ally, on the third day, by which time the cheese is 

 perfected. The dairy-woman has thus always three 



