276 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ocr., 1898, 
Rennet, in the form of tablets, is very useful in some cases. It is of a 
concentrated nature, and will keep much longer than liquid rennet. Never 
use bad-smelling rennet, as the cheese may be entirely ruined by doing so. 
COAGULATION OF MILK, 
The time taken to complete coagulation depends on the amount and strength 
of rennet used, and also upon the temperature at which renneting takes place. 
BS a rule with most cheeses the time occupied is about forty minutes to an 
our. 
What takes place in coagulation is a separation of the milk constituents ; 
enor caseln being turned by the rennet into an insoluble clot in the form of 
curd. 
Milk may coagulate spontaneously, which is due to lactic acid. Now curd 
is the result in both cases, but these curds differ materially. The curd pro- 
duced, when milk coagulates spontaneously, is of a greasy character, as no 
lime salts present in the milk are entangled. But in the case of “ rennet 
-curd,” we have the difference in that it is elastic and not greasy, and 
practically the whole of the lime salts are entangled in this curd. 
There are other differences in these two curds which do not affect the 
practical cheesemaker, and to which it is therefore unnecessary to refer. 
WHEY, 
Tn this substance we have a valuable pig food, its value chiefly depending 
upon the sugar and small amount of albuminous matter it contains. 
Some feeders even prefer whey to separated milk as a pig food, although 
by its composition it appears not nearly so valuable as the latter. Meals of 
various kinds mix well with whey for pig-feeding. Whey should never look 
milky, or bad handling and rough treatment of the curd has usually taken 
place, the fat which ought to have been closely entangled in the curd having 
escaped and given the milky appearance to the whey. 
SCALDING THE CURD. 
In most cases, or the old way, part of the whey is taken out, heated, and 
returned to the vat, the temperature to which it must be heated not exceeding 
130 degrees F. 
We do not want to get the scald above 130 degrees F., as, if this is 
done, the latter ferment is interfered with, and the curd will not mature as 
quickly as required, 
The three scalds adopted in Cheddar making are 110 degrees F., 
120 degrees F., and 1380 degrees F., so that we have to fix three points 
or temperatures in raising the temperature of the contents of the vat, and with 
these three scalds generally get it up. 
For instance, the contents of the vat may be at 82 degrees ¥., and we 
want to scald it to 102 degrees F. 
Then in this case let the first scald (¢.e., the 110 degrees I.) raise it from 
80 degrees to 89 degrees F'., the second from $9 degrees to 95 degrees F'., and 
the third the remaining degrees from 95 degrees to 102 degrees F. 
Of course, the numbers of gallons of whey employed in these sealds ean 
be found by reversing the formula given for heating milk. 
PRESSING. 
After the yarious processes of ripening, salting, &c., of the curd haye 
been gone through, we come to the press. 
Not much is to be noted here except to use little pressure at first, or loss 
of fat will be experienced. : 
Slight pressure at first, and gradually increasing it to the amount required, 
is the best, 
