The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1868-10-06
Cheese-Making in North Carolina.
Correspondence of the Raleigh Standard.

AsHEvILLE, N. c., Aug. 10, 1868
Five miles from Asheyille stands Elk noun
tain, owned in part, by company, with N. w.
Woodfn at the head) who are busily engaged
in the manufacture of cheese. propose to give
rather detailed account of the way cheese ia
made, and matters connected with it. 81 ledt
Mr. David j. Edwards noted cheese-mak-
er of New York, was first brought out to look at
the Buncumbe County grazing lands and ex-
anime their qualities for COW pasturage. l-
Mr. L. readily pronounced them equal to the
New York pastures. A company was formed
Immediately. Mr.. e. was employed to superin-
tend the factory here, and he was dispatched
Immediately to purchase the implements in
New York. ae a
Up to this time not tree had been cut
down, nor shingle made, but, by the time Mr..
4. had returned, the houses were all up--log
These arrived soon after, April 9th 1868, and
the next day after they had arrived, April 28th,
a forty. pound cheese was made. This was q
big day for Elk Mountain.
MlLKING.-Night and morning the cows are
MIXED. This is done at convenient points
through the farm. There are several milking
stations. A small wagon passes round from
station to station, and gathers on the tin barrels
which contain the milk from each station. The
nights milk is poured into an immense milk pan
at the dairy, holding some FIVE hundred gallons,
say twelve feet long, four wide and three deep.
The MoDUs OPERANDI-The nights milk
is poured in soon after milking, but is not made
into cheese until next morning. This big milk
pan sits in large box of water, and this water
runs all night. A stream is made TO pass
through it to keep the milk cool, and, to keep
the milk from curdling, sort of wooden rake
l. j Al Ill
keep it in motion. The commotion and the
cold water together keeps the milk cool and
sweet until morning Now comes the mornings
milk from the milk stations. As soon as the
mornings milk is poured in the process Of cheese
making begins
Underneath the outside water-box runs a
stove pipe, lengthwise, connected with furnace.
A FIRE is made in the furnace and as the water
warns, the milk of course warns also. The
heat of the milk is in this way raised to eighty
degrees stirred all the time never suffered to be
quiet a second. When it reaches eighty de-
grees it is suffered to become perfectly quiet
and curde, which it will do in twenty or thirty
minutes. After the curding is perfect, set Of
knives, arranged like fingers, is passed up and
down and crosswsc to cut the curds into pieces
Now begins the stirring again, and the heat is
carried up to ninety degrees. 1t is stirred for an
houror two. When ninety degrees arc reach
ed. it is again suffered to become still, and it
coagulates or soldifcs in twenty or thirty
minutes more. 1t is again cut to pieces and tho
stirring again begins, and the heat is raised to
one hundred degrees When this point is
reached the stirring ceases, and the curds are
suffered again to become quiet, The heat is
kept up quietly until the curd reaches certain
point known only to cheese makers, aud found
out by freduent tasting 1t gets to this point all
in moment. 1t is then quickly dipped out
and strained in a large Eat strainer, twelve feet
long by four wide and one deep. !. 1t is strained
through cloth. The whey goes through to bot
tom and is conveyed by troughs to the hogs out
side, while the curds remain in the cloth They
are rubbed dry and little salt stirred in them.
they are now put into moulds and pressed
into cakes. : 1t renains under press till next
day, and when taken from the press it is put into
drying house, where it remains ninety days,
and is then ready for the market