The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-04-02
AGRICULTURAL.
Domestic Manufacture of Cheese.

Cuccoo do al dIIlCle vi uItt Is rarity III
America. Yet, when properly made and
cured, there is no more nutritious, digestible,
agreeable article of food. 1t contains twice as
much nutriment as lean beef, and when mede
OF thewhole milk it has ample supply of fatty
matter for perfect digestion, and to furnish
carbonaceous matter for the respirative pro-
cesses aud the vital heat. Doubtless, the
chief obstacles to its general introduction to
the family table, are the want OF the requisite
knowledge for It's perfect manufacture on the
part of those who would really purchase it if
they could procure it of quality different
from the nauseous and repulsive character of
that which they have been too frequently
used to see and avoid in the markets and gro
Gerry stores. The frequent illusions to oleo-
margarine, which is not altogether uncon-
nected with ideas of offal and fat-renderiDg
Establishments, in dairymen's conventions
and in discussions about dairy products, also
tend to repel the popular favor with which
good cheese ought to be regarded. Leaving
the factory men to settle with the cheese-con-
suming public in the best way they can, we
proceed to give here, in reply to many inqui-
ries of late, some plain directions for the man
ufacture of domestic cheese for home con-
sumption. Atfirst the inadequate supply Ut
milk will offer an obstacle to many; for to
make less than Is or 20 pounds of cheese at
one time is hardly worth the labor, But this
may be 4urmounted in two ways, either by
making the agreeable, so-called, pot-cheese,
or sweet card cheese; or, by the cooperative
plan, which is by few adjacent neighbors
furnishing al! the milk for one days cheese
making in turn. Ten pounds of milk Tor five
quarts] being required for one pound of
cheese, at least so to 100 quarts would be
needed for each days make. This would take
the milk of ten cows. 1t would be an easy
matter Tor few neighbors to combine to sup
ply the milk of 10 to 20 cows every day for
a week, and thus secure months supply of
cheese for each. The pot-cheese referred to
can be made from few quarts of sweet milk,
or even from sweet butter-milk. The milk
being curdled with an infusion of rennet, or
the dried stomach of calf, asquare inch being
enough for 40 quarts of milk, the curd is set
by bringing the coagulated mllk to a heat of
1909, or such heat that the finger can barely
be retained in it with comfort. 1t is then bro
ken up by cutting it into small pieces with a
long-bladed knife, or is crumbled by hand, and
the whey is drained Off The curd is then
dipped into fine muslin cloth tied by the
four corners, and hung up to drain. When
dry it is sailed to taste, and pressed by hand
into small cakes. A very neat manner of
making the cakes is to procure fat box two
feet square, with loose bottom, and divided
into SO partitions four inches SCARE. The curd
is forced into these spaces by a small presser
with grooyed surface, and is lett to become
solidified. In few hours the cakes may be
pressed out OF the spaces on to the loose bet
tom and put away for use. This kind ofready-
made cheese is very agreeable, and. if bro
ken up and mixed with cream and sugar,
makes very palatable dish for the supper
table, and one that children will accept eager
ly. and cry for more of it.
The ordinary cheese requires more machin-
cry and labor and greater skill. The appar-
atus needed consists of cheese tub or vat, of
capacity of so to 100 gallons a large kettle of
equalcapacity; two dipping pals, each having
one fiat side; a few cheese hoops; few yards
of stout bleached cotton washed clean, and a
press. Some prepared rennets are also provd-
ed. These are the stomachs OF anweaned calves
emptied of their contents, but not washed !;
sailed thoroughly inside and out, and dried
upon bent twigs forced into them to stretch
them, as boys dry skins of muskrats. There
are two systsms of cheese-making: the Ched-
dar, in which the curd is heated in the whey
up to 1909, and the Cheshire, In which the
curd is put to press without heating. It is a
matter of taste only that decides between the
two; either is good enough. The latter is the
simpler, and is the first described. The milk,
either fresh from the COW, or the mornings
milk, mixed with that of the previous evening
from which the cream has been taken; is
biOd5ab w q ACot VI OO~1 1u WAiSa ~ tCCio per
ceptibly warm to the hand. The rennet, pre-
pared the evening before by soaking piece of
the dried stomach, 2 inches each way, or
inches long by inch wide, IA square inches,)
in half pint of warm water, with a table
spoonful of salt in it, is poured into 80 gallons
of the warmed milk, which is then thoroughly
stirred and covered with a blanket to retain
the heat. 1t is left until piece of the curd
as large as pint bowl may be cut and lifted
out without breaking apart. The curd is then
cut with long-bladed knife into small squares,
and left for the whey to separate. The whey
is drawn off through hole in the bottom of
the tub, usually kept closed with peg. The
curd is then broken with the hands, sailed at
the rate of IL ounces of finely-crushed salt for
80 gallons of milk or 20 pounds of cheese, and
is put into the hoop for pressing. 1t is pressed
very lightly, turned each day in the press, and
dry cloth is wrapped about it at each change.
After three days pressing it is bandaged and
placed in warm, dry room. In one week it
will be dry, when il may be rubbed with but
ter, and left to cure and ripen. In thirty to 60
days, the time depending upon the tempera-
ture-which should be from 60o to 70o-~it will
be fit for use. The cheese is turned each day
duEng the curing and drying process.
The Cheddar system differs from the Che
shire, in the addition to the previously de-
scribed process, of the drawing off of the whey
when the curd is set and has been cut with the
curd knife; heating it to temperature of 1909,
and turning it back upon the curd. The curd
is left in the hot whey half an hour, when the
whole is agitated or stirred for another half
hour. The whey is then drawn off, and as it
has carried away with it a portion of the
cream, it is cooled, skinned, and the cream is
made into an inferior butter, which is used to,
rub on to the cheese after it comes from the
press. The curd is left at rest another half
hour, when it is turned, again broken, and
again left to develop distinct but slightly &C.
i'd taste. 1t is now broken up and put into
the press for half day, afterward ground in
curd mill; eight ounces OF salt is added for
so gallons of milk, and it is then put to press,
the hoop being lined with CLOTH The pres
sure is much heavier than in the Cheshire
method, being equal to half a ton on 16-inch
cheese, or 250 pounds on an inch hoop. The
cloth is changed every day as the cheese is
turned in the press. On the third day the
cheese is bandaged, and is afterward turned
daily for some time while kept in the curing
room at temperature of 800 to 100 The hoop
for i0-pound cheese should be about s in
ches in diameter, and for 20-pound cheese,
IL inches. The press may be made of a 49,
foot scan.ling, held at one end to plank by a
loop of rope or chain, and having weight, a
piece OF stone or iron will answer the pur-
pose, at the other end. The cheese is placed
near the end opposite to the suspended
weight, and the scantling is made topress up
on the cheese by means of a closely fitted fol-
lower in the hoop, and series of blocks
placed upon this TO receive the pressure of the
scantling. A very convenient screw-press,
costing few dollars only, may be added to
the list of apparatus, The whole outfit of
tubs, kettles, pals and press may not necessa-
rily cost over $40, and in a small cooperative
dairy would do the work for dozen mem
bers.
The Thermometer and the Apple Tree
In many fiat and sheltered localities in the
interior of Maine, the thermometer, the pres
emit winter, has sunk to 40 deg. below zero,
and have been asked the question, What
will be the effect on apple treesl answer, it
will not destroy the fruit crop, though it
will winnow the orchards and nurseries
to considerable extent of tender va
rieties. Not grated varieties merely, but
even hardy varieties grated on unhardy
stumps. / know of no reason why our fore
fathers ia Maine were more successful than
We are in raising orchards, except that they
could get no trees from New York and were
obliged to use winnowed nursery trees. Not
one tree in twenty raised from seeds will sur
yivp upiniurQd Aithor in tho puroor1 an +bo