licceid Imjjrovcmcids in Dairij Practice. 
the various stages of the process, and wliicli cannot now be 
answered. 
We liave now a \ aluable body of rules laid down for our 
guidance ; though strict o!)servation and practical expcrienc-(> 
are, of course, re(juisite for their successful apjilication. But 
this is not enough. A wide and unexplored field is before us, 
into whicli we should enter. Milk, as taken from th& cow, is of 
a peculiarly rich and delicious flavour. The object of the cheese- 
maker shovdd be to preserve that flavour throughout the process, 
and leave it to ripen in the cheese ; but the accomplishment of 
this design is not always certain (especially in thunder weather), 
in the absence of an instrument with which we ai-e not yet pro- 
vided. Liebig and other chemists tell us that milk, in its 
pristine state, possesses a quantity of sugar, which, in the process 
towards decomposition, produces lactic acid. Alkalies are also 
present which neutralize the acid until an increased amount of 
the latter is generated, when the milk becomes sour. Believing 
this to be true, and knowing that heat promotes the formation 
of the acid, when the temperature of the atmosphere is 65° 
we act cautiously lest we should make the cheese sour, and, no 
doubt, our precaution is frequently attended with success. But 
there are other agents besides heat which promote the souring 
of the milk, even Avhen the atmosphere is as low as 60^ : over 
these we have no control at the time, besides being generally 
unaware of their existence until it would be too late to seek a 
remedy, if any such were known to exist. The instrument, then, 
which we want is one which will show us the exact amount of 
acid present, that v/e may know when to introduce the rennet, and 
in what quantity. It is true, we have litmus-paper, but this only 
indicates the presence of acid without measuring the quantity 
present. Whilst searching for such an instrument as this among 
opticians and chemists for several years past, I have been recom- 
mended to try one or two chemical methods, the best of which is 
by Dr. Cameron, of Dublin. None of these tests, however, are 
sufficiently simple to be of much use to the practical dairywoman, 
who wants an instrument effective and simple, by which she can 
as easily test the amount of acid present, as she can by the ther- 
mometer ascertain the degree of heat. 
Another desideratum is a chemical knowledge of the constitu- 
tion of the curd and whey throughout the process. It is not likely 
that this investigation should be carried out by the unaided efforts 
oi any practical man ; but with assistance, such as the Royal Agri- 
cultural Society of England could render, this object could be at- 
tained, and the result would be that cheese could be made (as it 
ought to be) upon principles scientific and, consequently, unerring. 
