68 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
■with water, and is easily performed by throwing the animal charcoal taken 
from the filter into an unheaded cask, half full of water, and as’fast as the char¬ 
coal is thrown in, the water is briskly stirred by means of a half worn out birch 
broom. The coarsest part of the charcoal is then allowed to settle in the bot¬ 
tom, and the turbid water decanted; a second quantity of clear water is put 
on, which is stirred and decanted like the first.. Then the coarse charcoal, 
now washed, is taken out and left in a heap to drain. It is well to dry it by 
spreading it in the open air, or in an oven after baking bread; when it is dry, 
it is healed in the burner, or kittle described page 16, until the whole of it be¬ 
comes nearly of a red brown colour, or until it does not give out any more va¬ 
por having a strong smell. It is then put. in a heap, and sifted through a fine 
sieve to separate all the fine dust. This is not lost, but is collected together to 
be pul into the first evaporating boiler. Before using the coarse animal char¬ 
coal thus prepared, it is best to give it a second washing, similar to the first. 
In thus reviving the animal charcoal, which is used every day, it is scarcely 
necessary to add to each operation more than a twentieth part of new char¬ 
coal. 
In closing this instruction, we must again recommend, as a condition neces¬ 
sary to success, to despatch every operation, from the rasping to the last eva¬ 
poration, and even the moulding; for the juices or sirups that are not concen¬ 
trated, if allowed to stand, immediately undergo changes, and will never crys¬ 
tallize so abundantly, nor even after a short time yield any thing but molas¬ 
ses, instead of sugar in crystals. 
PKIZE QUESTIONS. 
1st. A premium of 3,000 francs shall be decreed to the competitor who shall 
have made known the most simple and economical process, within the reach of 
small country establishments; and shall have given a good description of the 
same. The processes must have been in use two or three months, and yield¬ 
ed a daily product of at least twenty-eight pounds of sugar. The simplicity of 
the processes must be such, that farmers themselves may be able to put them 
in execution, and obtain the proposed results. The sugar obtained must have 
passed through the first stage of purification, either by long continued drain¬ 
ing, or by the refining sirup, or in some other way, so that it may be fit forim- 
m diate family use, or to be delivered'to toe refiners, at option. The competi¬ 
tor must give the reasons of his preferring the said processes, by their compari¬ 
son with other processes already in use. 
2dly. A premium of 2,000 francs is offered for the construction of apparatus, 
the price of which shall be within the reach of farmers, or an association of 
farmers, who propose to treat at least 50 hectolitres of juice daily Economy 
of construction, facility in using; economy in fuel, or moving power, compar¬ 
ed with the principal apparatus already in use, are the most essential condi¬ 
tions; but on the whole, all other things being equal, the greatest redaction of 
the expense of nunvufacturing a certain amount of sugar. Will be the grounds of 
the decision of the society. 
3dly. A premium of 1,000 francs will be awarded for the most remarkable 
improvement, hitherto not known, in any of the operations above detailed, 
the fact of the improvement to be verified by a committee of the society, and 
the results ascertained by actual experiment. 
4tl»ly. Premiums of 100 francs for each of the competitors who shall have 
erected one of the twelve first small manufactories, making in an economical 
•way, from beets of his own production, over 300 kilogrammes of sugar, in one 
year, of sufficient purity for family use. 
Besides the above premiums, medals will be awarded, at the same session, 
to persons who shall have co-operated effectually in establishing the greatest 
number of small manufactories of beet sugar in the country, either by commu¬ 
nicating to farmers processes, the knowledge of which they acquired by prac¬ 
tice, or by encouraging them by their example and advice. And also to those 
who, by a similar co-operation shall have succeeded in organising the greatest 
number of farmers into associations for the establishment of central manufac¬ 
tories; and finally, to those manufacturers who shall have made the greatest 
number of exchanges (with neighboring farmers,) of sugar for beets. The 
happy results obtained under these instructions must be proved by the affirma¬ 
tion of sgriculturists, and by the regular certificates of the municipal authori¬ 
ty. 
The society will take pleasure in giving all the informal on required of it by 
letters, post paid, or received through the inspectors, under cover, of the mi¬ 
nister of commerce. 
. EXTRACTS. 
[From Low's Elements of Practical Agriculture .] 
CHEESE MAKING. . 
Cheese consists of the caseous matter of milk united to a certain 
portion of the oily or creamy part. This oily portion adds to the 
flavor and richness of the cheese, and hence, when good cheese is 
wanted, the cream should not be separated. Cheese, however, can 
be made from milk from which the cream has been removed; and it 
is then termed skimmed-milk cheese. It may even be made from 
butter-milk, in which the cheesy part entirely remains. But then, 
the creamy part being more withdrawn than in the case of skimmed- 
milk, the cheese wants still more the properties and flavor which are 
valued in this species of food. 
For the making of cheese, the utensils usually required are :—a 
large tub, in which the milk is coagulated, and the curd broken ,; the 
cheese-knife, sometimes of wood and sometimes of iron, with one or 
more blades, for cutting the curd and allowing the whey to sepa¬ 
rate ; wooden dishes, for removing the whey; generally another 
wooden vessel perforated with holes, for further expressing the whey; 
small circular vats, in which the cheese is placed that it may be com¬ 
pressed ; and finally, the cheese-press. 
Cheese-presses are of different forms. They are generally made 
to act upon the curd by the continued pressure of a weight. The 
most simple, perhaps, is a long beam, made to act as a lever, the 
cheese to be compressed being placed in its vat, between the weight 
and the fulcrum. 
But more complex forms of the cheese-press, and, in some cases, 
more convenient, may be adopted. 
The coagulation of the milk is produced by various substances, 
but the most approved is rennet, which is prepared from the stomach 
of a young calf. This substance may be obtained as follows :—• 
The stomach of a new-killed calf, with its contents, consisting 
chiefly of coagulated milk, is to be taken. The matter of the sto¬ 
mach is to be preserved, separating merely any indigested substan¬ 
ces, as straw and the like, that may be mixed with it. It will add 
to the quantity of rennet obtained to feed the animal largely with 
milk, some hours before it is killed. A few handfuls of salt are to 
be put into the stomach and all around it. It is then to be rolled 
up, and hung near a fire to dry; and its quality will improve by 
hanging it up a year or more before it is used. It is the gastric 
juice in this rennet which produces the coagulation of the milk. 
When the rennet is prepared for use, it is cut into small pieces 
and put into a jar, with a handful or two of salt. Water, which had 
been previously boiled and cooled again, is then poured upon it, and 
allowed to remain for two or three days. It is then drawn offi and 
a second infusion made, but with a smaller quantity of water. This 
also remains a few days, and being withdrawn, the two liquors are 
mixed together, strained through a cloth, and put into bottles, to be 
used when required. 
The usual manner of making cheese is the following:—The milk 
is put into a large tub, and this as soon after being obtained from 
the cows -as possible. If there is a sufficient number of cows upon 
the farm to produce one cheese at a milking, the process is perform¬ 
ed immediately on the milk being brought from the cows. The 
milk, after being strained through a sieve, is put into a vat, and 
while yet warm, a table-spoonful or two of the rennet is mixed with 
it, after which the coagulation soon takes places. 
But if there be not a sufficient number of cows to make a cheese 
each time they are milked, then the milk, as it is brought from the 
cows, is put into the milk-vessels until as much is collected as will 
form a cheese. When the cheese is ready to be made, the cream 
is skimmed offi and as much of the milk is heated separately as, 
when added to the mass again, will raise it to about 90°. The cream 
which has been separated is then either mixed with this heated milk, 
and so liquefied and dissolved in it; or it is not added to the general 
mass until the heated milk has been added. 
The curd being fully formed, it is cut in various directions with 
the cheese-knife, so as to. allow the whey to exude; and the whey 
is then lifted out in flat dishes,' the curd at the same time undergo¬ 
ing a gentle pressure. The curd is then cut into small pieces by the 
cheese-knife, and put into a sieve or vat with holes, and then re¬ 
peatedly cut, pressed by the hand, and broken, until it ceases to give 
off any serous matter. It is last of all cut very small by the cheese- 
knife, and a quantity of salt, in the proportion of about half an ounce 
to a pound of cheese, being mixed with it, it is wrapped in a piece of 
cloth, and then put into a small wooden vessel with circular holds at 
the sides and bottom, and placed in the cheese-press. 
The time during which the cheese remains in the press is depen¬ 
dent upon the nature of the cheese and the degree of previous mani¬ 
pulation which it had undergone. In some of the finer and richer 
cheeses, the pressure is very slight, and in some cases the cheese- 
press is altogether dispensed with. 
But in ordinary cases, the cheese being wrapped in a cloth, and 
put into its vat* with a board above it to fit the vat,f remains in the 
press from one to two hours. It is then taken out, broken again by 
the hand, wrapped in fresh cloth, and replaced in the cheese-vat; 
and sometimes it is not broken; but merely reversed. It may then 
be taken out every five or six hours, and the cloth changed. After 
being pressed in this manner for two or three days, the operation 
will be complete. The cheese may then he kept in a warm place 
for some time till dry, and ultimately placed in the store-room for 
preservation. 
* Termed cheese-hoop. t Termed follower. 
