42 Report on the System of Cheese-making, Sfc. 
summer. When the milk has coagulated, the curd is broken, not 
very finely, with the ordinary breaker slowly and carefully, great 
pains being taken not to get the whey white. When sufficiently 
broken the heat of the whey is raised to 100° in spring, and in 
summer to about 98° Fahr. The whey is kept stirred for some 
time, and the curd not allowed to pack very rapidly. When the 
curd is collected the whey is drawn off and the curd lifted into 
a drainer and laid moderately thick, the heat being kept up. It 
remains entirely with the cheese-makers to say when it is ready 
for grinding and salting ; this knowledge, at present, can only 
be obtained by experience. The curd is ground once, not very 
finely, and salted, at the rate of 1 lb. of salt to 56 lbs. of curd ; 
when salted, it is laid out to cool and often turned over. Mrs. 
Hoddinott being very particular not to vat the curd too hot, it 
is sometimes 10 o'clock at night before it is vatted and put under 
press, and has to be watched and turned during this time. The 
cheese remains under press for three days, when it is moved 
into the curing-room, and bandaged and turned daily by a man. 
In writing this Report, I have endeavoured to be as accurate 
as possible ; but having had only a limited time in the dairy of 
each farm, I have depended pretty much on the information 
given by the cheese-makers. I must take this opportunity of 
thanking them for the frank way in which they described their 
method of cheese-making. In the neighbourhood in which I live, 
there is a certain amount of reticence amongst the makers of the 
best cheese in imparting information ; but the cheese-makers in 
Somersetshire all seemed only too willing to impart or gain 
knowledge. In manufacturing milk into cheese a thorough 
change takes place, milk being so easily spoilt and so sensitive 
to atmospheric changes ; consequently the Cheddar cheese- 
makers, although so much alike in their management, do not 
all produce the same results. I should recommend any one 
wishing to adopt the Cheddar system to endeavour to get per- 
mission to see the cheese-making process in this district, from 
its commencement to its finish. 
(Signed) Thomas F. Jackson. 
Thomas Willis, Jun. 
Frederic Beard. 
