20 BFT .TF TIN WO, U. S. DEPAETVLENT OF AGBICUI/FUBE. 
sprays by a rotary punip. Between the sprays and the fan is a 
series of baffle plates to remove the entrained water. Insulated 
ducts carry the air into the curing rooms through the ceilings. Two 
inlets are provided for a room 11 by 19 feet. The temperature of 
the room is held constant by dampers in the inlets, operated by 
compressed-air motors. These motors are regulated by a ther- 
mostat. Four outlets in the ceiling of each room connect with a 
common duct, which returns the air to the washer. This system 
insures a thorough circulation of air within the room. By this 
arrangement the air leaves the air washer at a temperature of 40 : 
to 45 c F. and in a saturated condition. As it mixes with the 
warmer air of the curing room the relative humidity drops, and it is 
necessary in some cases to bring it to the desired point by intro- 
ducing additional moisture. This is done very satisfactorily by 
blowing a jet of steam into the current of air as it comes into the 
room. This steam is carried under very low pressure and may be 
regulated by hand so that the relative humidity is held within 
narrow l imi ts. The steam is at once absorbed by the air, and while 
it adds a small amount of heat it has given very satisfactory 
results. 
PHENOMENA OF RIPENING. 
During the first weeks there is a gradual development of a red- 
dish slime upon the surface of the cheese, interspersed with patches 
of white and green mold. The latter in most cases is the Eoquefort 
mold. Judging from descriptions, domestic Roquefort does not take 
on the same vigorous development of the white mold as occurs with 
the French cheese. Sometimes the slime fails to develop rapidly. 
Bv using some of the scrapings from imported cheese and sprinkling 
the domestic cheese with a mixture of these scrapings and water 
the development of this mold growth may be brought about without 
great difficulty. 
After the first scraping there is only a slight development of the 
white and green mold, but there is a much greater development of 
the s lim e Jiganism. The growth needs to be removed every few 
weeks in order to permit the air to reach the mold in the interior of 
the cheese. The development of the mold and slime is sufficient to 
destroy the acidity of the cheese, and the removal of this growth is 
necessarv to prevent a putrefactive fermentation. Like the mold 
on the outside, the mold on the inside does not appear to develop 
: ; any m rked extent after the first scraping. When held before an 
electric light, if the cheese is cured at a temperature of from 4S~ to 
50 c F., the hypha? of the mold may usually be seen through the 
punch holes in less than 10 days after punching. 
Within two or three weeks the colored mold is often well devel- 
oped, and within a month there is very likely to be as much colored 
