The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-05-30
FARM AND GARDEN.
Cheese without Cows.

Another curious history attaches 10 til,
small, Hat cylindrical chcescs, wrapped il
tin foil, which are exposed for sale IN on!
shops II the appetzing price of one dollar {
pound. They bear the name OF Roquetort, 8
village which is the centre of that manufac
ture This is the choicest cheese made IN
France, and its reputation has existed for owe!
5000 years. The epicures of ancient Rome
held it in great request, and Pliny the 10
man historian, praised il enthusiastically. Ii
is made from the milk OF ewes, 100000 OF
which are pastured in the district supported
by this industry These sheep are OF an an
cient breed known rs the Larzac, and are es
pecially remarkable for their production OF
milk, all efforts to increase their milking Gu
pacity by crossing with other breeds having
failed These ewes yield on an average 30
pounds of cheese yearly, equal to an income
OF 81 from the milk alone The feed Is the
natural pasture OF the rocky limestone hills
OF the district, supplemented with clover,
lucern and sainton. Salt is regularly given
with each feed, and only water from the
ponds, which is warmer than the suring
water is given to them. The milking season
begins in March, by which time the lambs
dropped in January are weaned. One person
milk. % ewes Upon some of the farms each
eve passes through the hands Of three per,
sons before it is dry. The evenings milk is
hour
1t Is then strained again into a tin lined
copper Cauldron, in which it is heated nearly
to the boiling point After this it is put into
glazed earthenware bowls for the cream to
rise. A portion Of the cream is then removed
and churned The mornings milk is not
skinned, but after haying been heated, IS
added to every 10 pounds OF milk. After
cOagulation, the curd is broken bya wooden
spatula upon which large portion of the
whey separates The curd is then kneaded,
broken by hand, and placed in three layers
into the mods. These are glazed earthen.
ware cylinders four inches deep and Sc in
diameter, perforated with small holes. Pow
dered crumbs of barley bread already pre-
pared by peculiar process by which they
have become coated with spores Of the blush
mold known as pGHcHium glaucltR, are scat
tered upon each layer of curd As the molds
are completely filled, two are placed one upon
another, the curd in each touching, and a
leaden plate placed upon the upper one with
extra weight if needed. Here the cheeses
drain, and as they drain they contract and IN
this part of the process they are turned twice
each day, They are then placed for short
time in vat, which Is surrounded with hot
water until the drying process is well under
way, after which they are wrapped in cloths
of coarse linen for 10 or l2 days, and are fin
ally placed in room with northern aspect
well ventilated but preserved from dust and
flies by gauZe shutters.
Here they are kept for few days, being
turned frequently until they are removed to
the caves of Roquetort for final curing; and
here begins the chief popularity of the man
ufacture. Roquefort is natural citadel or
limestone rock, issured and perforated by
numerous caverns and grottoes, most of them
natural ones, but some having been made by
great labor and expense for this express pur-
pose. These caves are worth vast sums of
money. The rental of one of them casts the
annual value of our mammoth cave into the
shade, amounting in some instances to $40
600, aud even $4,000 per annum To these
caves the cheeses are carried by night lest the
heat of the day injure their quality. Here
they are purchased from the farmers by veal.
thy companies, the United Caves Company
being the largest, or are received by the
agents of associated diaries composed of the
farmers themselves. The caves have receiv-
ing, sailing, and curing rooms. In the first
the cheeses are weighed and sorted; in the
second, on the evening of their reception,
they are sailed upon the upper surfaces and
piled up in threcs for enc day and night
Then their reverse surfaces are sailed, and
they are again piled up as before for AZ hours.
Then they are rubbed over with a coarse cloth
anu plleu up LOT 40 nOuTS more, alter NnlCn
they are returned to the receiving room to be
scraped and freed from sticky substance
which has gathered upon them, and are once
more sorted into three classes.
The cheeses are now carried to the curing
rooms, which have temperature Of 40 TO AZ
degrees, and a carefully regulated degree of
humidity, and in which they are piled up
upon bed Of straw, or upon shelves, in lay
ers of threes as before but now for eight days.
From this position they are changed to one
upon their sides in rows little way apart.
Here they become covered with thick white
mold two inches IN length, which is scraped
off every or Is days, and the surface of the
cheese is pared. After this red crust forms
upon the cheese, which is pared off and sold
as an article of food In thirty to forty days
the ripening process is complete aud the
cheese is sold for consumption. 1t is now
WORTH, at the caves, about 80 cents pound at
wholesale, and at retail about ~ cents. Six
ty thousand persons altogether are employed
in this manufacture, the produce Of which is
over 10000 tons Of cheese yearly OF "A total
value to the producers of over $1,000 900.
This cheese. is shipped even to China and
South America, and the demand for it yearly
increases.-N FORK Tribune.
Pie PLANT PIES Never stew your pie
plant before making your pies. Peel the
s,tn - -, Ii. IL. ~