in making Cheshire Cheese . 175 
tub, is laded out into brass pans. Such parts of the curd 
as are pressed from under the board, are cut off with a 
knife, placed under the weighted board, and again press- 
ed. This is repeated again and again, the whey being 
constantly laded out as it drains from the curd. The 
whole mass of curd is then turned upside down, put on 
the other side of the tub, again pressed, pared, and press- 
ed as before. 
The board and weight being removed, the curd is cut 
into several pieces of about eight or nine inches square, 
piled upon each other, and pressed with the board and 
weight, repeating the cutting and piling, as long as any 
whey drains from it. It scarcely need be added, that 
the more gently the whole of the business in the tub is 
performed, the more perfect will be the separation of curd 
and whey. 
The next thing is to break the curd in a brass pan. 
After being pressed in the tub as long as any considera- 
ble quantity of whey drains from it, the curd is cut into 
nearly three equal portions ; one of which is taken into a 
brass pan, and is there, by two women, broken exceed- 
ingly fine. -As soon as it is coarsely broken, a large 
handful of salt is added, which in the subsequent break- 
ing is well mixed with the curd; that portion of curd, be- 
ing sufficiently broken, is put into a cheese vat, which is 
placed to receive it on a cheese-latlder over the cheese- 
tub : the vat is generally furnished with a coarse cheese- 
©loth. The second and third portions of the curd are 
treated in the same manner, and emptied into the vat ; 
sometimes five or six times the quantity of salt is added 
to the middle portion of the curd; others, salt all alike. 
The breaking takes up more or less time as the cheese 
was set together hotter or colder; half an hour is perhaps 
the longest time. 
