Dairying  in  Denmark. 
167 
finally,  by  gradually  increasing  force,  ending  in  a rapid  stir- 
about motion,  to  get  the  curd  into  a tolerably  minute  state  of 
subdivision. 
The  whey  having  been  drawn  off  as  completely  as  possible, 
the  curd  is  gathered  into  the  middle  of  the  tub,  and  boards  and 
weights  placed  on  it  to  express  as  much  of  the  remainder  of  the 
whey  as  can  be  got  out  by  these  means.  In  primitive  districts 
the  dairymaid  stands  on  the  board  and  stamps  it  with  her  feet 
alternately.  Salt  is  then  added  in  small  quantity,  unless,  as  is 
sometimes  the  case,  the  cheeses  are  afterwards  kept  in  a salt- 
bath  ; and  sometimes  cummin  or  carraway-seeds  are  mixed  with 
the  curd  at  this  stage,  if  the  taste  of  the  farmer’s  customers 
requires  the  addition  of  such  a flavouring  material.  Curd-mills 
are  seldom  used,  but  the  curd  is  laboriously  picked  to  pieces 
with  the  fingers.  Finally,  the  curd  is  put  into  moulds,  pressed 
for  a short  time,  and  turned  two  or  three  times,  by  which  means 
the  remaining  whey  is  expressed,  and  the  cheese  brought  into 
its  permanent  form.  It  is  then  stamped  with  the  name  of  the 
farm,  the  date,  and  its  number  for  the  year,  placed  in  its  cloth 
and  permanent  mould,  and  kept  under  the  press  for  twenty-four 
hours.  As  before  stated,  on  some  farms  it  is  afterwards  put 
into  a salt-water  bath,  generally  for  three  days.  It  is,  perhaps, 
needless  to  say  that  the  cheese-rooms  are  models  of  neatness  and 
cleanliness,  that  the  greatest  possible  attention  is  paid  to  the 
regulation  of  the  temperature  and  to  the  ventilation,  and  that 
every  cheese  is  turned  daily.  The  cheeses  are  sold  when  from 
three  weeks  to  three  months  old,  but  between  two  and  three 
months  is  the  most  usual  age,  and  prices  vary  from  22  to  32  ore 
per  Danish  lb.,  or  from  less  than  3d.  to  more  than  4 d.  per  lb. 
avoirdupois. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  manufacture  of  skim-cheese  in 
Denmark  has  not  yet  been  reduced  to  such  a definite  system  as 
the  making  of  butter ; but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  same 
spirit  of  investigation — fostered  as  it  is  both  by  the  Government 
and  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  Denmark- — will  shortly 
place  this  branch  of  dairy  manufacture  on  a scientific  basis  equal 
to  that  which  the  butter-making  of  the  country  has  now  for 
some  years  attained  under  the  same  influences.  It  may,  how- 
ever, be  remarked  that  while  Danish  butter  is  an  article  of 
diet — unfortunately  not  yet  easily  attainable  by  the  masses  in 
consequence  of  trade  tricks — thoroughly  appreciated  by  the 
English  people,  Danish  skim-cheese  does  not  commend  itself  to 
the  English  palate,  and  therefore  has  an  interest  only  as  an 
indication  of  the  manner  in  which  skim-milk  may  be  utilised 
profitably  by  the  dairy-farmer.  The  German  method  of  making 
skim-milk  cheese,  which  was  exhibited  at  the  Royal  Agricul- 
