FANCY CHEESES 387 



Molds, — Contamination from the other varieties of mold 

 causes considerable trouble. If the cheeses contain spots of 

 green or brown mold, or if a long, fuzzy mold, sometimes with 

 black tops (Mucors), appears, the Camembert mold cannot 

 grow properly, and the result is often a bitter cheese or one with 

 other undesirable flavors. The Camembert mold will some- 

 times grow over and cover the green and other molds, but this 

 does not prevent them from producing an objectionable flavor. 

 When such infection from foreign molds occurs, the whole equip- 

 ment should be sterilized, and if possible the walls and floors of 

 the making as well as the ripening rooms should be cleaned and 

 whitewashed. 



Dry cheese. — The drying out of cheese is caused by lack of 

 moisture in the ripening rooms, or by too rapid draining of the 

 curd. Such cheeses can often be saved, if the drying out has 

 not proceeded too far, by wrapping them tightly in tin foil. 



Wet cheese. — A defect just the opposite of the last is found in 

 wet cheeses. It is caused by too low a temperature of the making 

 room, as well as by too low a degree of acidity of the milk, both 

 of which retard the draining of the cheese. It may also be 

 caused by too high a degree of moisture in the ripening rooms. 

 The ripening of such cheeses is more in the nature of a liquefac- 

 tion, and the interior becomes so soft that it would run out if the 

 cheese were not kept in a box. There is no hope for such cheeses, 

 as the flavor and texture will never be satisfactory. 



Mites. — Serious damage is done to cheeses by the cheese 

 mite, a small insect scarcely visible to the naked eye. These 

 mites crawl all over the cheese and eat up or destroy the mold, 

 so that the cheese will not ripen properly and is practically 

 ruined. The only remedy in such cases is the thorough dis- 

 infection of the whole plant. 



Skippers. — Another enemy of the cheese is the cheese skipper 

 — the larva of a small fly. The flies lay their eggs on the cheese, 

 and these hatch out in a short time. The skippers remain on 



