1 Oor., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 277 
RIPENING CHEESE. 
A. great deal of the character of the cheese depends on the ripening 
process. 
Sometimes we get filthy curd turning out into moderate cheese after three 
or four months’ ripening. 
As to what occurs in ripening it is difficult to say; the one chief feature 
is that insoluble curd is made soluble. If ripening goes on too long, we get a 
decomposition set in, and foreign substances are found which make old cheese 
sometimes a dangerous article of diet. 
The great essentials of ripening are that the cheese shall be kept moist 
and warm, a temperature of about 60 degrees I. being suitable for most 
purposes. 
During ripening a great loss of water takes place, and fat appears to 
accuinulate, but this apparent formation of fat is due to loss of casein upon 
which chemical and bacteriological action takes place. 
A separate room, where the temperature can be regulated, and where no 
draughts or bad smells are found, is necessary for ripening cheese to the best 
advantage. 
Uniformity is to be aimed at in the production of cheese, when it is much 
more marketable.— Farmer and Stockbreeder. 
Viticulture. 
CELLAR WORK: FINING. 
By E. H. RAINTFORD, 
Viticulturist. 
Frxiv@ is an operation by which wine may be cleared of impurities, made 
bright and limpid, and a superabundance of tannin and colouring matter 
removed from it. Some people have an idea that it forms an unavoidable and 
necessary part of the treatment of wine in the cellar; that any wine that has 
not been fined should be looked upon as unfit for consumption and in danger 
of spoiling. ‘This is a mistake; in many cases wine will benefit by fining, but 
there are also cases where it is quite unnecessary; and when fining is not 
required, it cannot do good and may do harm. Vignerons should not, 
therefore, blindly fine wines because it is supposed to be a necessary part of 
their treatment, but examine each and judge for themselves, ; 
A wine which remains cloudy after the silent fermentation is over, and 
it has had its first racking, requires a light fining; also, a wine which, 
after being perfectly clear, becomes slightly cloudy. This means that 
fermentation of some kind is taking place which should be checked. 
It can generally be done by racking the wine into sulphur vapour, which 
paralyses the action of the ferment germs, and then fining it. In 
both eases the fining is necessary to remove from the wine the ferment 
germs or their débris which cause the cloudiness. Again, wines which 
from various causes have acquired an unfavourable taste, such as mouldiness, 
earthiness, taste of cask or lees, may often be improved by fining. A wine 
which is too astringent from having fermented too long in contact with the 
husks, or from too much stalk having been used in its manufacture, is 
