THE CAMEMBERT TYPE OF CHEESE 63 
Ripening. The milk is poured into the vat and by aid of 
water and steam is heated to 85° F., this being the tempera- 
ture best suited for the growth of the lactic bacteria. A star- 
ter is added, the amount depending upon its strength and 
capacity for developing lactic acid, usually 3 quarts of a me- 
dium starter for every 100 pounds of milk. 
It is best to use a starter which is a pure culture of lactic 
organisms, prepared by inoculating sterilized milk with these 
bacteria. In cheese and butter making some home-made star- 
ter is generally used, such as sour milk or buttermilk. These 
often give excellent results, but are by no means pure cultures, 
and cannot be depended upon. In fact they sometimes cause 
considerable trouble. After adding the starter the milk is al- 
lowed to stand until the desired degree of acidity is reached. 
This method of ripening the milk before setting is not the 
general rule in France, where they generally set the milk at 
a very low degree of acidity without the previous ripening of 
the milk. The acid, however, develops later in the curd while 
the cheese is draining. In our experience serious trouble from 
gas has been avoided by ripening the milk before setting. 
Especially during the hot weather it is advisable to use a 

















































Fic. 22.—Draining mat. 
