Tlie Practice of Stilton Cheese Making. 
437 
to tell if it will be good or bad ; if it is concave (hollow) on the 
top when turned over, it is good ; if convex (rounded), it is bad, 
and the cause should be instantly sought for and corrected in 
subsequent makes. Too much moisture in the curd or too little 
acidity present is usually the cause, and the practices that affect 
these points should be carefully watched. 
Acidity has a marked effect on the time occupied in ripening, 
and on the keeping quality when ripe ; when a moderate quantity 
is present, ripening is quicker, but the keeping quality is not so 
good. When very little or none is present, ripening is slower, but 
the keeping quality is thereby improved. The quantity of rennet 
used, and the temperature at which the cheese-room is kept, also 
affect the time occupied in ripening. 
XXIV. — The Practice of Stilton Cheese Making. By G. Kemp, 
Manor House Farm, Sedgebrook, Gi-antham. 
The earliest notice we have been able to find of Stilton cheese 
making is in Marshall's Rural Economy of the Midlands, pub- 
lished in 1790, in which he states that — 
Leicestershire is at present celebrated for its cream cheese, known hj the 
name of Stilton cheese. This species of chees* may be said to be a modern 
produce of the Midland district. Mrs. Paulet, of AVymondham, in the 
Melton quarter of Leicestershire, the first maker of Stilton cheese, is still 
living [1790]. Mrs. P., being a relation or acquaintance of the well-known 
Cooper Thornhill, who formerly kept the Bell at Stilton (in Huntingdonshire, 
on the great North road from London to Edinburgh), furnished his house 
with cream cheese ; which, being of singularly fine quality, was coveted by 
his customers ; and, through the assistance of Mrs. P., his customers were 
gratified, at the expence of half-a-crown a pound, with cream cheese of a 
superior quality, but of what county was not publicly known. Hence it 
obtained, of course, the name of Stilton cheese. At length, however, the 
place of produce was discovered, and the art of producing it learnt, by other 
dairywomen in the neighbourhood. Dalby first took the lead ; but it is now 
made in almost every village in that quarter of Leicestershire, as well as in 
the neighbouring villages of Rutlandshire. Many tons are made every year. 
Dalby is said to pay its rent from this produce only. Thus, from a mere 
circumstance, the produce of an extent of country is changed ; and, in this 
case, very profitably. The sale is no longer confined to Stilton ; every inn- 
keeper within fifteen or twenty miles of the district of manufacture is a 
dealer in Stilton cheese. The price at present is lOd. a poimd to the maker, 
and a shilling to the consumer, who takes it at the maker's weight. 
The home of the Stilton is still in North Leicestershire, 
having Melton Mowbray as its headquarters. It appears to 
have been a product almost exclusively of that district for a 
number of years, and was made by the small farmers and graziers, 
many of whom devoted their entire attention to its manufacture, 
