CATTLE, DAIRYING. 
227 
lis name from a single parish, it now prevails all over North Somerset- 
shire, and is gradually extending into Wiltshire. Many dairies in 
Gloucestershire adopt the system ; and some of its characteristic details 
arc followed in Cheshire ; and it is well known in Lancashire, Ayrshire, 
and Galloway. 
The Cheddar cheese is made of various sizes, generally twelve inches 
wide and a foot high, but sometimes larger in both dimentions, and from 
70 to 100 pounds in weight ; the object being to make all the milk of on# 
day on a farm of thirty to forty cows into a single cheese. 
Cheshire Cheese. 
Cheshire cheese, like the Cheddar, is made only once a day. Tho 
evening's milk is placed, not more than six to seven inches deep, in tin 
vessels to cool during the night, on the floor of the dairy ; it is skimmed 
in th /morning, and a certain portion is kept for butter — in early Summer, 
only enough, perhaps, for the use of the house, but in Autumn more, and 
in some dairies at least, nearly all the morning’s cream is thus taken for 
churning. The skimmed cream, with a portion of milk, is heated up to 
139 deg. Fahr. by floating the tins which hold it, on the boiler — sufficient 
quantity being taken to raise the whole of the evening’s and morning’s 
milk together to 90 deg. or thereabouts. The rennet is made tho day 
before it is used ; 12 or 14 square inches of “veil” (rennet skin) standing 
in a pint of salt water, kept in a warm place, making rennet enough for 
100 gallons of milk. The Irish veil (rennet skin) is used, as it is obtained 
from very young and milk-fed calves. 
The curd is set about 50 minutes ; it is then cut with the usual curd- 
breaker, a sieve-shaped cutter, very slowly. The whey is syphoned, 
pumped, or lifted out as soon as possible ; but before it is all removed a 
portion is (on some farms where the Cheddar system is followed), heated 
and returned to tho tub, and the curd is left in this hot whey .for half an 
hour. The whey is then drained away and the curd is left to get firm. 
When firm enough to stand on tho hand in cubes of about a pound weight 
— this is an intelligent indication — without breaking asunder, it is lifted 
out on the drainer (a false bottom of rods), in a long tub with a stop-cock 
to it, and there left covered up for 45 minutes, after which it is broken 
up and well mixed with the hand with 3 1-2 to 4 1-2 lbs. of salt per cwt. 
It is then allowed to stand with a light weight upon it for about three- 
quarters of an hour longer, and is turned over once or twice during the 
time, being cut for the purpose into squares with a knife. It is then twice 
passed through the curd mill, and at length put into the vat, a cloth being 
first pressed into place by a tia hoop, and tho salted curd being packed 
