Prize Competition, 1885. 
133 
the milk. The evening's milk is partly skimmed in the morn- 
ing, and then passed through the sieve into this vessel and the 
morning's milk is added as it comes in from the yard. The 
whole is heated, if heat is required, up to 90^ in winter, 84^ 
in summer ; a little colouring matter is dropped in, and Danish 
rennet is then added at the rate of 2 ounces to 40 gallons ; 
and the milk sets in about an hour. It is then cut by a sieve- 
cutter, with a 2-inch mesh, slowly thrust and lifted alternately. 
After a short interval of rest the curd is lifted slowly with 
the hand, and turned over in the vat : this is continued for 
about fifteen minutes, and then it is again broken with a 
half-inch mesh and left for 1^ hour longer. The whey is 
drawn off through a vertical sieve at the side of the vat, and 
the curd is gathered gradually to one end of the trough, 
the whey being allowed to escape to the tank, where it stands 
till the next morning, and is skimmed, the rest going to the 
pig-vat. The curd is gathered into a sheet and left to drain, 
being pressed under leverage for a while. The salt added to the 
curd is about ^ lb. to every 20 lbs. of curd. It is not added 
until a certain change has passed in the curd by lapse of time 
— a certain degree of acidity and consequent stringiness being 
developed before it is put into the mill. It is weighed out in 
30 lb. blocks, each of which, after being ground in the mill, is 
mixed with 20 ounces of salt turned over and over in the tub ; 
and with the hands thereafter packed closely into vats having a 
tin eke protruding above the level of the wood. It is turned 
in the evening ; next day a certain amount of pressure is 
applied ; and skewers thrust through holes in the vat are used 
for facilitating the escape of any remaining whey. The second 
day it is put under full pressure. The cheeses are turned once 
a day, being three days in the press. When taken out they 
are bound in cloth, lifted to the cheese-floor, where they are 
turned every day, and sold when three to four weeks old. 
The cows receive 2 lbs. of cotton-cake, 2 lbs. of crushed oats, 
and 1 lb. of " thirds," daily, when in full milk and at grass. 
In winter time they are fed on mangolds and swedes, clover, 
hay, and straw, with cake and meal ; the whole of the permanent 
grass being depastured. 
We add the following note from Mr. Parton on the subject of 
the winter feeding of the cows " The cows are usually kept in 
from Christmas to May, and cows that calve previous to Christ- 
mas are not let out at all, except to water. All the oat-straw 
grown is used for fodder, and the clover is mown twice. I think 
you computed there was 2 tons 10 cwts. to the acre first time, 
and the Cheshire Judges thought there was quite 30 cwt. the 
second mowing. In November the cows get little or no hay, 
