The Portland daily press., 1875-12-28
How Prize Cheese is Made.

How Prize Cheese is Made.
Seth Bonfoy, of West Winfield, is cheese
maker of long experience. He has had fac
tories in several counties, and has studied the
art of manufacture thoroughly. Of late he
has been doing unusual things in the way of
making cheese, which captures the judges at
our largest cheese exhibitions and sends him
home with the leading premiums. For two
years, at least, he has taken the first premi-
ums at the State and the Central New York
Fairs. These achievements make his method
of manufacture of special interest, and we
have secured from him for our readers some
facts which may be of wide usefulness. We
print the following as the result of an inter-
view:
At what temperature do you set you milk,
and why?
1 set at SO deg. because believe the whey
separates more freely. the curd handles with
more life, and in the end makes more cheese
than when set at higher temperature.
Do you vary the heat of setting at differ
ent seasons of The year, and why?
Isset slightly higher in the Spring and a tri-
fle lower in the Fall. Th eseparation is more
tardy as the season advances.
What rennets do you use and how do you
prepare them?
Patrons rennets. I prepare them for use
by soaking twelve hours in warm water at 90
deg. Then take them out and salt the liquor
to keep. The skins are resoaked in the same
manner.
How do you Judge when to break the curd?
I break the curd a little before it will ceave
before the finger.
How do you break the curd and make it
fine?
I cut with Young's perpendicular curd
knife, lengthwise and crosswise carefully, and
then handle with hands carefully while warm
ing until the curd is sufficiently fine. Care
full cutting and handling adds to the weight
and character of the cheese.
How much time do you occupy in break
ing the curd?
lam governed altogether by the condition
of the milk in its keeping qualities. fit is
old 1 warm carefully and constantly until it
reaches 95 or 96 deg, and not venture too
far.
Do you have any rule as to the time when
you begin 10 apply the scald, and the tim Q
occupied in raising the heat?
I have none but judgment. The curd
should be properly matured at medium low
temperature. The time occupied depends
upon the sowness or rapdty with which it
natures. The heating should always be
slow and careful, and the curd should be
carefully and constantly handled while rais-
ing the heat.
How high do you scald, and how long do
you cook the curd?
scald to 98 deg, and the time taken
varies from fifteen to sixty minutes. In the
spring heat slightly quicker. and slower, as
the season advances, especially in the fall.
How do you tell when the curd is scalded
enough?
By my judgment of the appearance of the
curd.
What are the concluding steps of the hand
ling Of the curd?
draw off the whey with a siphon, formib g
channel in the center of the curd, elevating
the vat slightly at one end, When the curd
is thoroughly drained l grind il with one of
Jones 6 Faulkner's curd mills and salt imme-
diately. use three pounds of Syracuse dairy
salt to the 1000 pounds of milk, stirring in
the salt thoroughly. then put to press i'm
mediatey in luke warm condition, believing
it closes more perfectly. press twenty-five
hours with Frazer's gang press.
How do you secure perfect rind?
By perfect manufacture. rub the faces of
the cheese with strong alka!i, colored slight
ly with annatto. This is done when the cheese
are taken from the press, and they are al
lowed to stand until dry before dressing. I
use whey butter for greasng. 1t is made by
thoroughly trying out the whey cream until
completely separated 1t is applied quite
warm.-UticG Herald.
Cisterns for Farms.
A gentleman from New Hampshire, who
visited the farm of the Agricultural editor
some time since, writes to learn more particu-
lars about the barn cstern which supplies
water for the stock. This cistern bas been
built and in constant use some twenty years.
1t is cemented on the gravel, without brick
ing or stoning, except on one side next to the
cellar wall; here it is strengthened by thin
wall of stone laid in cement. From near the
bottom pipe is run through the cellar wall
and carried under ground to warm and con-
venient corner of the cellar wall where it en-
pties into tub for supplying water to the
stock without re quiring the labor OF drawing
or pumping.
The cistern is shaped like a common set
Kettle or farmers boiler, being about ten feet
deep and eleven feet acorss at the top, and
holds about one hundred hogsheads. It was
covered at first with two-inch chestnut plant,
laid on chestnut sleepers, but the planks rot
ted and have been replaced by green chest
nut timber, hewed on two sides and laid close
together, filling the crevices with cement.
These are still sound and bid fair to last
many years. Over the timber there is about
eighteen inches of loam which entirely ex-
cludes frost from the water and sides of the
",
the cistern has occasionally, in years past,
overfowed and softened the bank behind the
cement, allowino the pressure of water from
within to crack the cement shell and cause a
slight leak. The leaks were stopped by
brushing the cracks over with thin coat OF
cement. 1t has been tight now for several
years.
The cost at the lime it was built was only
about fifty dollars, including the piping and
n for
drawing water from the top. Six barrels of
water lime we used, with about double the
quantity Of clean, sharp, coarse sand. The
lime cost, at that time, only little over two
dollars per barrel. The pamp cost about ten
dollars, and the cave troughs little more,
leaving some fifteen dollars for the digging,
covering and work of laying the cement. The
digging was all done in March, when other
work was not pressing.
Ii we were going to build again we should,
by all means, build larger. This has never
been dry but once in twenty years, and the
number of animals kept has seldom been less
than ten and often nearly twice the number
besides, water is used freely for washing car
riages, and in dry seasons it is drawn from
for washing at the house, and to supply
neighbors who are less fortunate in a water
supply. Still, there has not been full sup
ply at all times, because the capacity OF the
cistern is insufficient for holding all the water
that falls on the roof
The gentleman asks, among other ques'
tions.
What per cent. on the cost has it paid ?''
We should say about one hundred per cent,
nearly or quite every year since it was built.
Ihere is no durable spring within more than
hundred rods from the farm, and that is on
the land OF another and beyond the adjoining
farm. There is no durable water on the farm
except IN lhls cistern, although two wells and
aspiring are seldom dry. The water from the
cistern runs by its own weight into the yard
thus saving all expense for drawing and
pumping, which item alcne would cost almost
as much every year as the whole expense Of
building the cistern. Ii we were irving tC