174 Account of the Process employed 
sions across it to the full depth of the knife’s blade, at 
the distance of about one inch; and again crossways in 
the same manner, the incisions intersecting each other at 
right angles. The whey rising through these incisions 
is of a fine pale green colour. The cheese-maker and 
two assistants then proceed to break the curd ; this is 
performed by their repeatedly putting their hands down 
into the tub, the cheese-maker with the skimming dish in 
one hand breaking every part of it as they catch it, rais- 
ing the curd from the bottom, and still breaking it. This 
part of the business is continued till the whole is broken 
uniformly small : it generally takes up about forty mi* 
mites, and the curd is then left covered ov&r with a cloth 
for about half an hour to subside. If the milk has been 
set cool together, the curd, as before mentioned, will be 
much more tender, the w 7 hey will not be so green, but ra- 
ther of a milky appearance. The cheesemaker in this 
case, instead of the knife, has recourse to the skimming 
dish, the edge of which she holds perpendicular to the 
surface of the whey in the tub, and dips it gently an 
inch or two into the curd, turning it over, until the whole 
surface is thus turned. The breaking then proceeds as 
before ; but a cautious and gentle mode of doing it is more 
necessary than in the former case. Rather more time, of 
course, is necessary for breaking down a cold than a hot 
cheese ; but when sufficiently broken, it is covered over, 
and left to subside as before. After standing about half 
an hour, as much whey is taken out of the tub into the 
brass pans as conveniently may be, without taking any 
of the curd w ith it. The bottom of the tub is now set ra- 
ther a-tilt, the curd is collected to the upper side of it, a 
board is introduced of a semicircular form to fit loosely 
one half of the tub’s bottom. This board is placed on 
the curd, and a sixty pound weight upon it, to press out 
the whey, which draining to the lower side of the tilted 
