176 Account of the Process employed 
Thrusting or Hand-pressing the Cheese into the Vat 
The curd; when put into the cheese-vat in its broken 
state, is heaped above the vat in a conical form, to pre- 
vent it from crumbling down ; the four corners of the 
cheese-cloth are turned over it, and three women, plac- 
ing their hands against the conical part, gently but forci- 
bly press it in nearly a horizontal direction, constantly 
shifting their hands when any portion of the curd is start- 
ing from the mass, and turning down and folding up the 
cloth as occasion requires. As soon as the curd adheres 
together so as to admit it, a small square board, with a 
corner of the cloth under it, is put on the top of the coni- 
cal part of the curd, with a sixty pound weight upon the 
board. Several iron skewers are at this time stuck in 
the cone, and also through holes in the sides of the 
vat. Several use a wooden lever to press down the 
cheese. 
The employment of the women is now drawing out 
and putting in the skewers ; thrusting and keeping toge- 
ther the portions of the curd, that the power of the weight 
or lever displaces. This operation is continued until the 
whey, which at first ran from it freely, begins to be dis- 
charged by drops ; the weight and skewers are then re- 
moved and one woman takes up the corners of the cloth, 
while the others break the curd half way to the bottom of 
the vat, as small as they can. 
Some people use a wooden or tin hoop, nine inches 
broad, instead of holding up the corners of the cloth dur- 
ing this breaking. After the upper half of the cheese is 
thus broken, a weight or other power is again applied to 
it, and is skewered and thrusted as before : at first the 
w hey again runs freely, and the operation is continued as 
long as those means will press out a drop of whey. Two 
of the women then take the four corners of the cloth, the 
