On Cheese-making in Home Dairies and in Factories. 275 
whey is syphoned, pumped, or lifted out as soon as possible ; 
but before it is all removed a portion is (on some farms) heated 
and returned to the tub, and the curd is left in this hot whey 
half an hour. The whey is then drained away and the cheese 
left to get firm. When firm enough to stand on the hand in 
cnbes of about a pound weight — this is Mr. Siddorns' illustration 
— without breaking asunder, it is lifted out on the drainer, a 
false bottom of rods in a long tub with a stop-cock to it, and 
there left covered up for 45 minutes, after which it is well mixed 
by hand with to 4^ lbs. of salt per cwt. — then allowed to 
stand with a light weight upon it for about three-quarters of an 
hour longer, being turned over once or twice during the time, after 
being cut into squares with a knife. It is then twice passed 
through the curd-mill, and put into the vat at once, a cloth being 
pressed first into the place by a tin hoop and the salted curd 
being packed gently by hand within it. In some dairies the salt 
is not added till after the curd has been thus ground in the mill. 
As to the quantity of salt to be added, that must be determined 
by judgment of the quantity of whey which is likely to pass from 
the press. In one case mentioned by Mr. Siddorns, 6 lbs. of salt 
were added to 118 lbs. of curd, which, however, lost as much as 
48 lbs. of whey in the after-process, which necessarily carried off 
a large quantity of the salt which had been added. The vats 
will hold a cheese of 70 or 80, up to 100 lbs. ; and tin hoops, 
placed within them, are used to eke them out and give capacity 
for a larger quantity of curd, if necessary. In an ordinary Cheshire 
dairy all the milk is ready in the cheese-tub by 7 o'clock in the 
morning, the curd is set by 8, it is ready for the drainer by 9, and 
it may be put into the vat soon after 11. After standing in the 
vat, with a weight upon it, from one to two hours, according to 
1 the state of the weather, it is turned over and put into the oven — 
a warm chamber in or near the brickwork of the dairy-chimney 
— where it remains at a temperature of 90^ to 100° during the 
night. Both when in the press and here the cheese is skewered, 
skewers being thrust into it through holes in the vat, and every 
now and then withdrawn, so as to facilitate the drainage of the 
whey. The cheese is taken out of the vat next morning and 
turned upside down in a fresh cloth. It is in the press three 
days, and it is turned in the press twice a day, being dry-clothed 
each time. It is then taken out, bandaged, and removed to the 
cheese-room, where it is turned daily, or at length only occa- 
I sionally, until it is ready for sale. In some dairies all skewering 
1 is dispensed with, and no pressure is used at the time of making, 
' nor for two days afterwards ; but the whey is allowed to run out 
of its own accord. Cheese manufactured in this way requires 
from 5 to 7 days in drying, but matures more quickly for market. 
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