22 BULLETIN 970, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Occasionally the mold and flavor fail to develop, in which case 
the cheeses are repierced and again exposed to the free air of the 
curing rooms. At the time of enveloping in foil there should be an 
abundance of mold and some flavor; however, the flavor appears 
flatter and less pronounced than after the cheese has been left in 
the foil for a few months. Whenever cheeses are repierced care must 
be taken to maintain a high humidity and low temperature, or they 
will become dry, friable, the mold will take on a dark color, the 
flavor will be sharp and unpleasant, and the cheeses will be of poorer 
quality than before this operation. The cheeses should be wrapped 
in tin foil within two or three weeks after the second piercing. 
In the preliminary work by the Bureau of Animal Industry it 
was often necessary to use a temperature of from 50° to 60° F. and 
under these conditions a great deal of difficulty was caused by the 
invasion of the surface slime into the punch holes. A high humidity 
and temperature result often in the invasion of the slime into the 
interior of the cheese, which not only causes a very unattractive 
appearance but impairs the flavor of the cheese. This serious diffi- 
culty has been partially, if not wholly, eliminated by the use of low 
temperatures, from 45° to 50° F. This is one reason why a low 
temperature for curing this cheese is desirable. 
Ripening period.— Roquefort cheese from cows' milk requires from 
three to five months to ripen. The ripening period may be shortened 
by raising the moisture content of the cheese, but this will be at the 
expense of quality. By the use of refrigeration the cheese may be 
made when milk is abundant, and ripened and marketed in the winter, 
when it commands a higher price; in fact it may be made the year 
round. The imported cheeses are ripened in from one to three 
months and often they are sold directly from the curing shelves 
without preliminary ripening in the foil. With cows'-milk Roque- 
fort it is often difficult to ripen the cheeses under three months, and 
a longer time is better. The best results have been obtained by 
ripening three months on the shelves and at least two months in 
the foil. It has so far not been possible to obtain cheese with the 
best flavor unless ripened in foil. When the foil-wrapped cheese 
has been ripened to the desired point, it will keep in good condition 
for from eight months to a year, provided it is held at a low tempera- 
ture and is not too moist. Preferably the cheese should be held at a 
temperature of only a few degrees above 0° C. or 32° F. However, 
rather moist cheese has been kept from six to eight months in good 
condition at a temperature from 45° to 50° F. During this period 
the cheese did not deteriorate but rather tended to improve in 
quality and become sweeter and more fragrant. Cheese that is 
very moist may be ripened in a shorter period but it is not so easily 
