BULLETIN 6 8, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Table 2. — Quantity of cheese produced, exported, and imported in United States 
1922 to 1980 
Year 
Production 
Exports 
Imports 
1922. 
Pounds 
374, 980, 000 
398, 947. 000 
417,940,000 
447, 514, 000 
431,416,000 
406, 686, 000 
437,519,000 
483, 933, 000 
612, 319, 000 
Pounds 
6, 006, 574 
8,331,321 
4, 299, 127 
9, 190, 054 
3, 902, 597 
3,410,289 
2, 599, 947 
2, 644, 859 
1, 964, 138 
Pounds 
46, 673. 099 
64, 419, 788 
59, 175, 591 
62, 402, 706 
78, 416, 823 
79, 796, 062 
80, 432, 272 
76, 381, 795 
68, 310, 716 
1923 
1924 
1925. _ 
1926 
1927 
1928 
1929. 
1930 
A number of varieties are included in these importations, and 
nearly all are among the highest priced cheeses, such as Emmenthaler 
from Switzerland, Parmesan and Gorgonzola from Italy, Roquefort, 
Camembert, and Brie from France, and Edam from Holland. 
The attempt to make Emmenthaler and Limburg cheese in this 
country has been very successful, as is proved by the statement that 
Wisconsin alone produced 23,744,000 pounds of wheel and block 
Swiss cheese and 5,662,000 pounds of Limburg cheese in 1930. Inves- 
tigations by this department in cooperation with the experiment 
station at Storrs, Conn., and later at Grove City, Pa., have demon- 
strated that Camembert and cow's-miik Roquefort can be made 
successfully in this country. There is reason to believe that all the 
varieties of cheese imported can be made here, although with present 
knowledge it would not be advisable to try to make many kinds. 
Unfortunately, a feeling is prevalent in the United States that 
cheese equal to the best of the European product can not be produced 
here. This feeling is based upon a lack of knowledge of actual condi- 
tions in Europe and of the conditions affecting the qualities of cheese. 
It is possibly true that our domestic cheese may surfer in comparison 
of quality with the imported cheese, since we compete with the best 
rather than the average grade. Certain parts of Europe probably are 
better favored by desirable climatic conditions and by more general 
dissemination of the bacteria or molds necessary to the characteristic 
ripening of different varieties, but even the best average natural con- 
ditions can be improved by artificial means, since necessary molds or 
bacteria can be grown in pure cultures and utilized anywhere. How- 
ever, the cost of providing artificial means may render it impracticable. 
Unfortunately, the sale of homemade cheese of European varieties is 
seriously handicapped by the partiality of consumers for foreign labels. 
The demand for information concerning the different varieties of 
cheese has become general, and the information is not very accessible 
to those unable to read other languages than English. The apparent 
need of some work of reference in connection with both the importa- 
tion and the home production of cheese has therefore led to the 
preparation of the descriptive notes and the compilation of the 
analytical data in this bulletin. 
The descriptions are for the most part based upon data found in 
treatises on dairying and in articles in foreign periodicals. Although 
in many instances they are very incomplete and possibly in some cases 
inaccurate, they nevertheless contain in condensed form practically 
all the important information that it has been possible to obtain in 
an extended search through the literature relating in any way to the 
