THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



205 



cheese requires purer milk and cleaner 

 milk than butter, how very important, 

 therefore, is it that all milk-suppliers, by 

 supplying only the purest and cleanest 

 of milk, should co-operate with the 

 rheese-maker in producing a really prime 

 article for the English market. 



EeCEIVING THii MlLK. 



Every can of milk that is intended for 

 cheese should, before being accepted, be 

 very closely scrutinized. Firmness on 

 the part of the chees-maker at this stage 

 i? of the utmost importance. Shovild 

 there be the slightest shadow of suspicion 

 as to either its sweetness, purity or clean- 

 liness, reject it at once. One can of 

 unsuitable milk will destroy the whole 

 of the milk received that morning. Why, 

 then, should the milk of, say, nineteen 

 onreful milk suppliers be ruined just to 

 aocommodate one neglectful supplier 

 who is too obstinate to acquire habits of 

 cleanliness ? Assuming the milk to be up 

 to the required standard, it is received 

 from the suppliers and strained into the 

 large recei-^nng vat, and crradually heated 

 up to 86 deof. Pahr. The vat and the 

 method of heating are so sufficiently well 

 known that a description is unnecessary. 



Addt-ntg the Rennet. 



When to add the rennet is a stage in 

 cheese-making that requires very careful 

 attention. When the milk in the receiv- 

 ing vat has been brought to a tempera- 

 ture of 86 deg. Fahr., put about .5 ounces 

 of it into a tea-cup. For this purpose 

 have a graduated measuring-glass, which 

 only costs two shillings. 



To the 5 ounces of milk add one tea- 

 spoonful of anv good brand of artificial 

 rennet. Stir the milk and the rennet 

 together for five second^, and tlien watch 

 for it to thicken. Should it thicken in 

 from fourteen to seventeen seconds the 

 milk in the vat will be ripe enough to 

 "set," that is, to receive the rennet. 



Sometimes, however, the milk does 

 not thicken in from fourteen to seven- 

 teen seconds, and this hanpens^ in cold 

 weather. The lowne=:s of the ^surround- 

 mg temperature, '^ven when the milk is 

 at 86 desf. Fahr. has been known to cause 

 the milk to take 35 and in some cases 30 



and 35 seconds to thicken. When this 

 happens the temperature of the milk in 

 the vat must be continued for a little 

 while longer at 86 deg., or even increased 

 a little, but on no account must it go over 

 90 degrees. By waiting a few minutes, 

 keeping the milk in the vat a little over 

 86 deg., it will ripen, despite the cold 

 weather, when the fourteen to seventeen 

 seconds test in the tea-cup will then come 

 out all right. 



The rennet must not be added until 

 proof of the proper ripeness of the milk 

 has been decided by the tea-cup test. 



There is a very simple plan for telling 

 the very moment when the milk in the 

 cup has thickened, and beginners ought 

 to make use of it. When the 5 ounces 

 of milk are put in the cup, before adding 

 the rennet put a small chip, say half an 

 inch of a wooden match, or small piece of 

 cork, into the milk, and then stir rapidly 

 when adding the rennet. The little chip 

 will whirl round with the milk, but the 

 moment the milk thickens the chip will 

 suddenly stop. By keeping- a close eye 

 on your watch the exact number of 

 seconds from the adding of the rennet to 

 the stopping of the chip is easily counted. 



Qttantttt op Eennet. 

 Tf good rennet is purchased the proper 

 quantity to use is at the rate of 2 ounces 

 for every 50 g^allons of milk. This is 

 the correct proportion. After thoroughly 

 mixinff the annatto with the milk then 

 add the rennet. ISTone but the best 

 brands of rennet shoiild be purchased. 

 Stir the milk well for five minutes after 

 adding the rennet, and then let it settle. 



Testing Eennet. 

 As rennet varies in quality its strength 

 should be tested regularly. In factories 

 every new supply ought to be tested. On 

 farms where only a small quantity is used 

 every bottle as it is opened should be 

 tested before using. If the proportions 

 stated in the standard referred to (a 

 teaspoonful of rennet to 5 ounces of 

 milk) does not thicken the milk in the 

 cup in seventeen seconds in favourable 

 weather, providing, of course, the milk is 

 at the right temperature, then the ren- 

 net is weak in quality, and the proportion 



