VARIETIES OF CHEESE: DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSES 11 
9.20 per cent, or one-fourth of an inch, the latter of which is determined by 
measuring the length of strings when the curd is touched to a hot iron. 
The curd is then matted about 4 inches deep, sometimes in the bottom of 
the vat, sometimes on racks covered with a coarse linen cloth. After it has 
remained there long enough to stick together it is cut into rectangular pieces 
easy to handle, which are turned frequently and finally piled two to four deep; 
in the meanwhile the temperature of the curd is kept at about 90° F. When the 
curd has broken down until it has the smooth feeling of velvet, which requires 
from one to three hours, it is milled by means of a machine, which cuts it into 
pieces the size of a finger. It is then stirred on the bottom of the vat until whey 
ceases to run, which requires from one-half to one and one-half hours, when 
it is salted at the rate of 2 or 23/£ pounds of salt to 100 pounds of milk. It is 
then ready to be put into the press. The curd is put into tinned-iron hoops 
of the proper size, which are lined with cheesecloth bandages. The hoop? are 
put into presses and great pressure is applied by means of screws. The next 
morning the cheese is removed from the hoops and put on shelves in a curing 
room. Formerly it was kept in a curing room as long as six months, but at 
the present time it is covered with a coat of paraffin and put into cold storage 
when from 3 to 12 days old. There is a growing demand on the part of consumers 
for mild cheese, and consequents ripening must be carried on at a temperature 
below 50° F. 
An important point in the process of manufacturing Cheddar cheese is the 
development of the desired quantity of acid, which is responsible for the proper 
breaking down of the curd before milling and salting. The maximum quantity 
of acid that can be developed in the whey without injuring the texture of the 
cheese should, therefore, be aimed at. It is very probable that too much weight 
has been placed on the desirability of a maximum development of acid, and that 
practically as good cheese can be produced without the high acid. 
Some of the details in the manufacture of Cheddar cheese are varied to some 
extent, and other names may be used to designate the cheese so made. A stirred- 
curd cheese is one in which the curd particles are not allowed to mat together 
after the whey is drawn. The curd is stirred occasionally to prevent this mat- 
ting process, but it differs from the sweet-curd cheese, as acid is allowed to 
develop before salting and pressing. Formerly a comparatively large quantity 
of stirred-curd cheese was made, but very little, if any, is made at the present 
time. 
A washed-curd cheese varies from the regular Cheddar process in having the 
milled curd subjected to cold water for a short period. This process is evidently 
practiced to force the curd to take up a small percentage of the water and increase 
the yield. _ It results in a cheese which apparently breaks down or ripens much 
more rapidly than cheese made in the ordinary way. Thin ripening is very 
likely not due to the excess of moisture but to some other unexplained reason. 
Some States have prohibited the use of the State brand on washed-curd cheese. 
CHESHIRE 
This cheese is one of the oldest and most popular of the English varieties. 
It is a rennet cheese made from whole milk of cows, and is named for Chester 
County, England, where it is largely produced. It is made in cylindrical shape, 
from 14 to 16 inches in diameter, and weighs from 50 to 70 pounds. In making 
this cheese sufficient annatto is used to give the product a very high color. The 
process of manufacture varies in detail in different sections. Perfectly sweet 
milk, night's and morning's mixed, is set at a temperature of from 75° to 90° F. 
In one hour, the curd is cut usually with an instrument in which knives are set 
in a frame to cut cubes 1 or 1|^ inches square. This is pushed down through 
the curd and finally worked back and forth at an angle. This is continued for 
about an hour, or until the particles of curd are the size of peas. The curd is 
then allowed to settle and mat on the bottom of the vat for about an hour, when 
it is rolled up to one end, weighted down, and the whey drawn, after the desired 
degree of acidity has been obtained. The curd is cut in pieces of the right size 
to handle and is piled on racks. It is then run through a curd mill, salted at the 
rate of 3 pounds to 1,000 pounds of milk, and put into a hoop having a number of 
holes in the side, through which skewers can be thrust into the cheese to promote 
drainage. The cheese in the hoop is put into a heated wooden box called an 
oven, and sometimes light pressure is applied, the pressure increasing gradually 
until it reaches about 1 ton. The curing cellar or room is about 60° to 65° F. 
The time required for thorough ripening is from 8 to 10 months. 
