384 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE 14 
FAMILY CHEESE-MAKING. 
Our grocers and hucksters are now paying only 10 cents 
per pound for the best butter, and are offered more at that 
price than they care to handle; but on pricing cheese a 
day or two ago, I found it started at 16 cents a pound. 
About one gallon of milk makes a pound of cheese ; while 
it requires nearly or quite three gallons to make a pound 
of butter. Thus, while three gallons in butter bring only 
10 cents, three gallons in cheese bring 48 cents, or nearly 
five times as much. If you say that we might engage our 
butter to private customers and get more than twice 10 
cents per pound for it, I reply that I have never found any 
difficulty in doing this where I could furnish a regular 
supply the year ’round, but there are many farmers who 
do not wish to carry on dairying, but who always have 
some surplus butter during the season of good pastures, 
and it is the throwing of this surplus on the market that 
overstocks and demoralizes it. I am milking three two- 
year-old Jersey heifers, and if we churn'all the cream, we 
have about 10 pounds of butter a week for sale; but, in¬ 
stead of doing this, we are making one seven-pound cheese 
a day on three days in the week, and occasionally, by ex¬ 
changing milk with a neighbor (borrowing a few gallons 
in the morning and paying it back at night) we make a 
10-pound cheese, and, by making only three cheeses a week, 
we are able to raise, a calf and have an abundant supply 
of milk, cream and butter for the family. This is the 
third year in which we have made our family supply of 
cheese, and I have been more and more pleased with the 
plan each year. I had charge of a cheese dairy of 20 cows 
in 1850, and although I had not seen any cheese made since, 
I had no trouble in teaching my wife how to manage our 
three or four-cow dairy. 
All of our fixtures cost less than $5. and they will last 
for many years. For setting the milk I have a tin tub 
holding 10 gallons. This tub (or vat) is set in a large wash- 
tub, with inch cleats under it so that water can run be¬ 
neath, and the 
wooden tub is 
large enough to 
allow a space 
of three inches 
all around be¬ 
tween it and the 
tin tub. Our 
press is simply a 
form or bench of 
two-inch t i m - 
bers, with an up¬ 
right morticed 
into it at one 
end, and to this 
i s attached a 
lever; the cost 
was about 50 
cents. Then as 
a drainer w e 
have a box with 
sloping sides and 
30 or more auger 
holes in the bot¬ 
tom; this fits on 
a common tub, 
and with a 
square yard of 
cheese cloth 
spread over it, is 
used to drain the whey from the curd. A ladder, which con¬ 
sists simply of four cleats an inch square nailed together so 
as to make a rest for the strainer and prevent the cheese¬ 
cloth covering from falling into the milk; a tin hoop like 
a peck measure with the bottom out, in which to press the 
cheese; a strip of tin for a curd knife, and a half dozen 
squares of cheese cloth complete the necessary appli¬ 
ances. 
I have always used home-prepared rennet; but would 
advise the purchase of liquid rennet extract. A calf’s 
rennet should be turned, emptied of its contents, and 
slightly rinsed, and then filled with salt and thoroughly 
dried. Then for some days before it is needed, it should 
be soaked in a quart of strong brine, to which the juice of 
a lemon should be added. The milk should be set at 
about 90 degrees, and enough of the rennet should be 
added to bring the cheese in from 20 to 30 minutes. A 
little experience will determine the proper amount. If the 
rennet is good about a table spoonful for each five gallons 
of milk will be right. Stir thoroughly for two or three 
minutes when it is put in. When the cheese comes, it 
will look like clabbered milk, and should be carefully 
sliced with the strip of tin, cutting both ways, so that the 
top will appear in squares half an inch or so in size. Let 
it stand until the whey begins to separate, and the curd 
settles out of sight; then lift it gently from the bottom 
and cut or break it into pieces not much larger than a 
thimble, and by pouring hot water between the tubs 
raise the temperature to 100 degrees. Let the curd remain 
in the whey, stirring it gently occasionally to bring every 
part of it in contact with the whey, and to iterate it, until 
it develops a little acidity, and becomes firm enough so 
that it feels springy to the touch, and squeaks between the 
teeth; then dip it up and drain the whey off as rapidly as 
possible. The draining will be hastened by slicing the 
curd frequently, cutting it in narrow slices each way; 
then with the hand break it up and gather the corners of 
the cloth over it, and lay a weight on it; a small board and 
a stone can be used for the purpose. Three or four repeti¬ 
tions of this will reduce the bulk. Now cut it into half¬ 
inch slices and spread them out a few minutes to cool, and 
it will be ready for the press. 
To put it in this, first chop it until the pieces are 
almost as small as peas, and salt it at the rate of one ounce to 
five pounds of curd. Spread a square of cheese cloth over 
the hoop, fill in the curd, and then spread the corners over 
the top and place on the follower, which should be small 
enough to settle down easily as the cheese yields under 
pressure. A light weight must be applied at first, or the 
whey will run off white and creamy, and in all the hand¬ 
ling of the curd no haste must be made. If one attempts 
to hurry, the whey will look white like milk, and the 
cheese will be poor ; but if the whey remains nearly color¬ 
less, one is doing the thing right. The whole process from 
the time the rennet is added until the cl.eese is put in the 
press will require about four hours; but there is very 
little work about it. Press during the afternoon, and turn 
the cheese at night. In doing this take it out of the hoop, 
remove the cloth, and, if necessary, trim off any rough 
edges. Then spread a fresh wet cloth over it, so that most 
of the cloth will be at one side ; slip the hoop down over it 
and turn hoop and cheese together; then what was the 
top of the cheese will be the bottom. At the first pressing 
all the cloth was folded under the follower, and this gave 
a rough surface to the cheese, but now a single thickness 
of cloth should be spread over the top and crowded down 
with a round-pointed table knife, while with the hand the 
operator holds the edge of the cloth between the cheese 
and the hoop. It is harder to describe than to perform 
this process, and if one will bear in mind that the object 
is to make the cheese smooth and free from wrinkles, and 
that after it is turned, the corners of the cloth should be 
above the follower instead of under it, there will be little 
trouble. Leave the cheese in the press from 12 to 18 hours, 
and let it be well pressed. We use a weight of about 40 or 
50 pounds on the end of a lever six feet long, and find the 
cheese is well pressed. 
While curing, the cheeses must be turned every day, and 
rubbed with grease: lard is good, or butter will answer. The 
cheeses will cure in from 15 to 30 days so as to be fit for use 
or sale. The only trouble in curing them is in keeping 
away the flies, which lay the eggs that hatch out skippers. 
These are slender flies nearly as long as house flies, but 
not more than a fourth as large. The novice usually 
loses a cheese or two on account of skippers, and if he is 
careless he may lose many. I think it possible to inclose 
the shelves with thin muslin, so as to exclude the cheese- 
fly, and I am trying the plan this year; but in any case the 
cheeses must be turned and thoroughly rubbed every day 
until they are completely cured, and have a rind on them 
that will protect them. Wife says it is better to turn 
them twice a day. These small country cheeses meet a 
ready sale, and the making of them would prove much 
more profitable than butter making in hot weather. 
Summit County, Ohio. waldo f. brown. 
CULLING OUT AND BREEDING UP. 
Having noticed in the R. N.-Y. special reports of the 
yield of dairies I am led to report mine, not that I think it 
a great yield but because I do consider it very good, and 
because I have by culling out, breeding up and buying 
brought it up from a 200-pound average yield. 
From April 1, 4889 to April 1, 1890,1 had an average of 
7% cows in milk. Three of these which were continually 
milked were two-year-old heifers with their first calves; 
two were cows which had been in milk about four months, 
one had been in milk over a year and was due to calve in 
October 1889. Our family consisted of eight at all times, 
and for a part of the time of nine or ten. Of course, we 
had what milk and cream we wanted, and, moreover, from 
the middle of April until October we fed to cosset lambs 
four quarts of new milk daily, and from about October 1, 
we furnished to a tenant from a pint to a quart of new milk 
daily, and from the last of February, we supplied a 
neighbor with one to two quarts daily. After deducting all 
this new milk and cream my dairy averaged 251 pounds of 
butter to each anhnal, averaging one pound of butter from 
1.94 pound of cream. I am now making butter from six 
head, consisting of two cows in milk since last December, 
one in milk since February, one heifer with her first calf, 
In milk since January, and two heifers with first calves, in 
milk since the middle of March. For the week just closed 
they have averaged seven pounds of butter a day—one 
pound 2% ounces to the animal per day, making one pound 
of butter from 1.83% pound of cream. They are high- 
grade Jerseys with one pure-bred A. J. C. C. cow. They 
have had no grain—nothing but the grass on the pasture. 
I expect that when they have been in pasture a little 
longer they will do better; for when turned out about two 
weeks since, their grain feed was taken away; besides we 
have had a great deal of rain, making the grass rather 
rapid in growth and lacking in richness. H. F. s. 
Benson, Vt. _ 
OUR LATE COLD SPRING AND ITS RESULTS. 
We have had in some respects one of the most remark¬ 
able springs that I have ever known. We were not as 
late in starting the plow as we have befen many times be¬ 
fore, but the constant cool, cloudy, rainy weather has kept 
crops and plants from growing, and in many cases from 
even getting started, until within the last few days. We 
started the plows on April 7, and have been driving as 
rapidly as possible until the present time (May 29), and 
are not yet quite through with our first planting. Per¬ 
haps I ought to state that the spring here is generally about 
one week later than it is around New York City. We cut 
our first asparagus on April 24. We planted our first piece 
of potatoes (about four acres) six weeks ago to day. The 
soil is a light sandy loam, thoroughly drained, and in as 
perfect a condition for planting as I ever saw a piece of 
land. In fact, I make it an invariable rule never to plant 
the ground with any kind of a crop until it is in first-rate 
order, or at least in as good order as I know how to put it, 
and then I expect my crops to grow as quickly as the 
weather will permit, and as rapidly as they can ; yet I 
didnotseethe first sprout through the ground until May 
25, and not more than one-half of the'plants are up to-day. 
This state of affairs certainly indicates remarkably cool 
weather. It has sometimes seemed discouraging to keep 
right on plowing and putting in seeds, and setting out 
plants as rapidly as three teams and 15 to 20 good men and 
boys can do the work. But with a first-rate soil, thor¬ 
oughly drained with both surface and underdrains, with 
an immense amount of both manure and ashes on hand 
J 
an enterprising 
market gardener 
has no business 
to get dis- 
couraged, even 
if “growing 
weather ” does 
not corneas early 
as he would like 
to see it. 
Still the cool 
weather has not 
been an unmiti¬ 
gated evil. Let 
us look at the 
other side for a 
moment. The 
weather for the 
last three or 
four days has 
been like sum¬ 
mer, and plants 
have started, 
and small seeds 
and plants are 
now growing 
very rapidly. 
There is still 
plenty of time 
for good crops, 
and not only that, but for doubling the ordinary good 
yields, as we market gardeners are supposed to do. 
The largest crop of strawberries I have ever raised, or 
ever read of, was later than strawberries promise to be 
this season. Again, it has been a splendid spring for 
transplanting plants of all kinds. I have set out many 
tens of thousands of plants, and have never seen newly-set 
plants do better. It is true that they have not grown 
rapidly, but they have taken root, and are now starting 
out as if they had never been transplanted. This is partic¬ 
ularly true of all of my strawberry plants. I have been 
over them many times, and do not think that I 
have noticed a dead specimen among them, al¬ 
though there are not far from 40,000 of them. 
The same is true of my newly-set raspberry and currant 
plants. They all promise to do splendidly. In a setting of 
about 20,000 early cabbage plants, scarcely a dead one can 
be found. A portion of my early setting of lettuce which 
I was foolish enough to set out very early, and in an ex¬ 
posed place, has been somewhat damaged by the weather, 
and that was in reality my own fault, for another lot set 
about the same time in a protected place, has done splen¬ 
didly and the plants are now fit for market. Thus it is 
easy to see that there is a bright as well as a dark side to 
the unusually late, cold, wet spring. We must not try to 
throw the blame of our failures upon other parties, or on 
causes beyond our control, when the real cause is at home 
and in our own mismanagement. I believe that I can say 
truly and honestly that in my efforts at cultivating the 
soil, whether for garden or for other crops, 1 do my best. 
I do not mean by this the best that can be done, but the 
best that many years of careful study, united with Experi¬ 
ence and close observation, have taught me, and I may say, 
without boasting, that my crops are generally not only 
large, but very large; still I sometimes fail to get as good 
a yield of something as I had anticipated, and in such 
cases I almost invariably see, when too late, that the fault 
was my own. I had neglected something that ought to have 
been done, or done it the wrong time something which, if 
done at the proper time, and in the proper manner, would 
have made a great difference in the yield, and perhaps have 
changed a very ordinary crop into a very large one. Then 
when we fail to get as good returns as we expected, let us 
be sure that the failure is not the result of our own ignor¬ 
ance or stupidity, or both. If we do this, we shall soon 
. 
Ci."/ : 
OCTAGON HOUSE NEAR PORTLAND MAINE. Fig. 125. 
