New Yor«K AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 253 
cheaply constructed, could not produce first-class cheese. Good 
cheese was still made by the masters of manufacture; but the 
tendency of the entire output was toward deterioration in qual- 
ity. This means lessened consumption and lower prices. 
These conditions still prevail to too great an extent, though 
decided efforts have been made within the past few years, and 
with some success, to restore New York cheese to its position 
as the standard of'quality in the great markets. The object of 
the Station in publishing this bulletin is to point out at least 
one weak point in the system of cheese handling as at present 
conducted and to suggest a possible practical improvement. 
EXPERIMENT IN CURING CHEESE. 
GBNERAL CONDITIONS. 
Believing that it would be easy to demonstrate faults in the 
present system of curing, we have carried on quite extended 
work along this line. Conditions have been so arranged that 
cheeses made practically alike could be cured at the tempera- 
tures secured under average factory handling and at much lower 
temperatures. Experiments made elsewhere! on a laboratory 
scale indicated that keeping the cheese comparatively ccol dur- 
ing the time of curing would give a better product; and com- 
parison of the many cheeses in our tests, cured at different tem- 
peratures, establishes the fact beyond doubt. 
MAKING THBP CHEESE. 
The foundation of good dairy products is a healthy cow, in 
sanitary surroundings, well fed and well cared for, yielding her 
milk to a clean milker, into clean utensils. These essentials we 
sought to secure, then aerated and cooled the milk in good, pure 
air as soon as possible after milking, and kept it till needed in 
a cool, clean place. In making the cheese the following method 
was used: As soon as the milk is received in the morning it is 
heated to 84° and then tested for acidity, using the Marschall 
41Wis. Agr. Exp. Sta. Ann. Rpt., 1897, p. 194. 
