1853 . 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
245 
Manufacture of Cheshire Cheese. 
(Continued from page 215.) 
The “ breaking” and “ gathering ” of the curd is 
the next process. This used formerly to be done by 
means of the hands and skimming-dish (a practice still 
continued in some dairies) ; but the curd-breaker is 
now generally made use of for this purpose.^ It is made 
of wire-work, in an oval form, and has a tin rim round 
it about an inch and a half broad. This wire cuts the 
curd, by being passed through it perpendicularly, very 
gently at first, and in different directions, so that the 
whole mass is separated in very small portions. The 
length of time required for- the operation depends upon 
the quantity of curd; for a 60 lb. cheese the operation 
often takes twenty or twenty-five minutes. After this, 
the curd is left for a quarter of an hour to separate from 
the whey, and, if the weather be cool, the tub is cov¬ 
ered to retain the heat. The curd having separated, 
which it does by sinking, a portion of the whey at the 
top is then taken out by the portable brass or tin pan 
before alluded to, being pressed into it, and emptied 
into the'set-pan. The curd is then gently broken by 
the dairy-maid and her assistant passing their hands 
down to the bottom of the tub, and buoying up a por¬ 
tion of. the eurd at each time to the surface, or by again 
using the curd-breaker. The eurd having been brought 
to the top, is easily seized, and separated into smaller 
portions, and the whey thereby released. This opera¬ 
tion takes about half an hour. After the expiration of 
another (or so soon as the curd is considered sufficiently 
settled—for there is no saying to five or ten miuutes 
how long each particular interval of rest should be), 
more whey is taken out, and the eurd afterwards drawn 
as mueh into one half of the bottom of the tub as its 
loose texture will admit of.* Upon the curd is then 
placed a semi-circular board adapted to the size of the 
tub, with a weight of about 30 lb. placed upon it. This 
board is perforated with holes, about half an inch in 
diameter, to allow the whey to escape through. The 
tub is now set three or four inches atilt to drain the 
whey more readily from the eurd, and to admit of its 
being collected and carried off. The skimming-dish is 
again required to lade out the whey. The whey, on its 
way to the set-pan, is passed through a sieve, to collect 
any curd which may happen to be floating in it. This 
curd is what is called slip curd, which by some is not 
returned to the tub, for the reason I have before stated. 
The weight and board are shortly taken off, and such 
part of the curd as has been squeezed from under them 
is again collected on one side, and a heavier weight (say 
50 lb. or 60 lb.,) applied as before. As the whey es¬ 
capes from the Curd it is laded out. In the course of a 
quarter of an hour the board is again removed, the curd 
cut in intersections of six or eight inches apart, to assist 
the discharge of the whey, and the board, with addi¬ 
tional weights (about double the last), again applied. 
Some dairy-maids now add the slip curd. The weights 
are again increased if it be thought necessary; observing 
always to let the pressure which is applied be gradual, 
and regulated by the degree of compactness of the 
curd, for if this is not attended to now-, as well as af¬ 
terwards, a considerable portion of butyraceous matter 
will be forced out and the cheese of course deteriorated. 
The eurd is again cut into square pieces, taken out of 
the cheese-tub 'and broken a little by the hands as it 
is passed into the “ thrusting-tub.' 5 (In some dairies 
* At this stage, it is the practice with some dairy-maids, 
when they suppose the curd is colder or more tender than it 
ought to be, to return a few gallons of whey after it has been 
heated over the boiler in the brass pan into the tub again, to 
assist the discharge of the remaining whey. If, on the con¬ 
trary, the curd is found warmer than is intended or desirable, 
which is sometimes the case in hot weather or during thun¬ 
der, a few gallons of cold water are applied to prevent the 
curd becoming tough. These inconveniences would, in my 
opinion, seldom if ever happen if a thermometer was used 
at first, and the proper heat at that time adhered to. 
a large sized cheese-vat, in others a willow basket is 
substituted for the thrusting tub.) In this the extrac¬ 
tion of the whey is afterwards^ continued by the appli¬ 
cation of “ the screw,” of which there are two or three 
kinds, but all on the same principle. The old plan of 
thrusting —and from which the term is no doubt de¬ 
rived—was by means of a pole four or five yards long, 
fixed at one end into an upright post, whilst at the 
other was seated a lusty lad or a man, who kept regu¬ 
larly pressing down the pole upon th*e curd, the pole 
acting as a lever. Both poles and men are now al¬ 
most entirely expelled from the Cheshire dairies; and 
the screw is also likely to be superseded by the “lever 
press.” The advantages of this over the screw are 
that it sinks by its own action with the curd—any de¬ 
gree of pressure required can be applied and gradually 
increased, and less attention is necessary; whereas 
the presure from the screw is sudden and uncertain, and 
having no self-action, requires the dairy-maid’s assis¬ 
tance every five or ten minutes to render it effectual. 
The “ thrusting-tub,” in which the curd has now to 
be pressed, is round, and is perforated with holes at the 
sides and bottom for the whey to escape through. Be¬ 
fore the curd is putin, a “ cheese-cloth ” of the coarsest 
kind, about one and a half yards long and a yard wide 
(or of dimensions sufficient to contain the curd), is 
placed in it.* In this the curd, after being broken, as 
before stated, is enveloped, and a “sinker,” or strong 
circular board, which fits the inside of the tub, placed 
on it. Upon this the screw (or lever press, if used) is let 
down, and the power gradually applied. 
To assist still further the discharge of the . whey, 
long iron skewers are introduced through the perfora¬ 
tions in the tub, with their points directed upwards, so 
that when the skewers are withdrawn there is a drain 
made for the whej" tg follow. These skewers do not re¬ 
main in more than five or ten minutes; the pressure is 
continued a little longer. The curd fs now cut through, 
in intersections of two or three inches apart, with a 
large dull knife, so as not to injure the cheese-cloth, and 
the edge or corner of the curd is cut off all round, and 
placed in the centre. After this the pressure is again 
applied, and gradually increased, and the skewers in¬ 
troduced and withdrawn as before, after the lapse of 
about fifteen or twenty minutes. The curd is then ta¬ 
ken completely out of the tub, cut into four or five 
pieces, and each piece broken separately with the hands 
to about the size of two or three inches square. A clean 
dry cloth is made use of, the curd folded in it, and again 
pressed and skewered. These operations are repeated 
until the whey is sufficiently extracted to admit of the 
curd being salted, which is the next part of the process. 
If the milk is set together at six o’clock, and the co¬ 
agulation takes' place in an hour and a quarter, the 
breaking, gathering, and preparation for salting is gene¬ 
rally accomplished by eleven or twelve o’clock. 
This is merely mentioned as some guide to the new 
beginner, who may not be able to judge from the state 
of the curd when it is fit for salting. I may here ob¬ 
serve that it is the practice in some dairies to salt the 
curd, while, in my opinion, there is too much whey 
in it. 
The quantity of salt used is regulated by some old 
custom, or by the fancy or taste of the dairy-maid, and 
with about as good a chance of correctness as that with 
which she regulates the temperature of the milk by the 
touch. That clever and experienced persons may de¬ 
termine the proper quantity of salt in this way tolera¬ 
bly well, I admit; but there are many others who fall 
into error, and all for want of some fixed rule. If 
there be a certain proportion of salt which would an¬ 
swer the purpose best, which there doubtless is, why 
not ascertain and adopt it? 
“ In all dairies,” (says Mr. Wedge, the author of the 
original ( Report of the Agriculture of Cheshire,’ writ¬ 
ten many years ago, but still equally true) “ the same 
points are admitted to be essential, but although the 
* Cheese-cloths are linen, of a rather closer texture than 
canvass, and made for the pnrpose. The coarse kind are 
sometimes termed screw-cloths. 
