12 BULLETIN 1171, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
GROWING MOLD FOR INOCULATION. 
Camembert mold may best be grown on hard, dry, water crackers, 
rather than the common milk crackers. Fruit jars are filled about 
one-third full of crackers and then covered with a screw-top cover 
or plugged with cotton. Several of these jars are then placed in a 
dry sterilizer for about 1| hours at a temperature of 150° C. By 
means of a sterile platinum needle the mold spores are then trans- 
ferred from a stock culture to a flask of sterile water. Thorn advises 
also the addition of 5 to 10 per cent of lactic or tartaric acid solution 
to the water before sterilizing. After cooling the crackers are 
moistened with the water containing the mold spores. The crackers 
should not be made soggy, but all of. them should be moistened by 
rotating the jar about until all the water has been taken up. 
Care must be taken not to contaminate the crackers with foreign 
molds, for this is much more serious than any bacterial contamina- 
tion. The jars are then set away at a temperature of 60° F. A thick 
coat of white, cottonlike mold develops in the course of 10 days, 
which, when aging, turns to a green-gray color. When these colored 
spores develop it is an indication that the mold is ready to use. It is 
advisable not to use the mold until it has all changed color, for fear 
that some of the crackers may be contaminated with other molds, 
and this may not be evident at first. It is always desirable to use 
several extra jars, because under the best of conditions they some- 
times become contaminated with foreign mold. 
FACTORY EQUIPMENT. 
The equipment necessary for a Camembert-cheese factory should 
consist of the utensils common to creamery and cheese- factory work. 
A room for receiving and weighing, apparatus for testing the fat of 
milk, and steam for heating and sterilizing are all essential. A 
separator is also necessary to standardize milk and remove the fat 
from the whey. The sides of the room are best when cemented, for 
this tends to reduce to a minimum the accumulation of dirt and dust. 
The floors likewise should be made of cement with a gentle down- 
ward slope to a trap or drain to permit daily flushing. Wire netting *- 
of fine mesh to cover all windows is essential to guard against flies 
and insects. Unless all rooms are protected against flies there is 
danger that flies may lay eggs on the cheese and the eggs will hatch 
out later into maggots. When these skipper flies are in evidence in 
the draining room all cheese should be removed and the room 
thoroughly steamed for 1J to 2 hours. When this method is followed 
all windows, doors, and other openings should be closed as tightly 
as possible. If it is impracticable to follow this procedure, fly 
swatters should be used until the flies are entirely eliminated. 
Cheeses that have been infected by flies should be held at a low 
temperature, 50° F. if possible, for at a low temperature the eggs { 
either fail to develop or develop very slowly. It is very essential 
that these precautions be carefully observed in warm weather, for 
otherwise these pests will cause no end of trouble. When the cheese 
becomes infected it should be scraped and then washed with salt 
water. Each room should be well lighted, for most of the curing 
rooms are either below ground or are completely inclosed. 
