The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-03-12
Some Hints on Good Cheese Making.


ISOLATION at Canton, n. Y, on the 18th
of January:
1t is imperative that fine cheese
should be handsome and good-looking,
as well as good; therefore every point
of inward quality or outward appear
ance which detracts from this value as
whole should as far as possible be
avoided. The Importance of having
milk pure and well kept cannot be too
strongly insisted upon, and the utmost
care and vigilance should be bestowed
upon this point. Badly kept milk gives
the cream a tainted, disagreeable taste
which can never be thoroughly eradi
Gated, and is the true cause of the
harsh, bitter taste in cheese. II is true
that great many fine cheese and much
fine butter is now made in this State;
yet it is fact that in many factories
called fine, during four months make,
their early and late makes are not up
to the mark. Why is this? know to
a certainty that it arises from causes
which can be controlled. When fac
tories open in the spring with only a
small quantity of milk to work, it is al
ways a very difficult task to ensure a
satisfactory quality of cheese. This is
much increased where patrons send in
green milk to the factory, and the diff
Guilty is often much increased from cold
milk rooms, where the required tenn
perature cannot be easily maintained,
so as to facilitate the separation of the
whey. Under these circumstances
it is beneficial to heat up sew
eral times to 100 degrees, so that
the separation may be sufficiently af-
fected. Spring cheese require high
temperature, to evaporate the moisture
and make them rapidly ready for early
sale, as tits never prudent to hold fod-
der made cheese. A skillful maker will
be continually on the alert, looking out
for unexpected changes, even after he
has made a thorough examination of ev-
cry vat of milk separately, which is in
dispensable, when a maker Is deter
mined to have all his cheese of uniform
quality. In October the finest cheese of
the season should be made, but rs soon
as favorable weather for keeping milk
sets in, greed sets in also, and Swimming
is resorted to, and coincident with this,
Carelessness often sets in with the MAX
ers. Taking off cream necessitates
some change in the routine of making,
and this is either not understood thor
oughly by the maker, or he has become
Indifferent, so the consequence is that
few October cheese are as fine as they
might be. The maker shelters himself
behind the Swimming process as an ex-
cuse for relaxing his care to have the
October cheese solid, and besides often
does not attend to have them properly
cured. He hurries over every part of
the process, hoping rather doubtfully
that they may pass. The consequence
is, that after the cheese passes from his
sight they are found week made and
lacking solidity; clammy on the surface
and cold and sticky inside, the moist
ure being impertectly evaporated by cur
inc, and these cheese become streaked
and modified in color, insipid or bit
terish in taste, undesirable as food and
comparatively of little value. In the
spring and fall the presses should be
placed in the dry-roOm, or where the
required temperature can be maintained,
in order that the whey may be thor
oughly separated. A cold press-room
prevents this, and much greater atten-
ton to this point is absolutely necessary.
Greater attention is also demanded
whilst the cheese are in process of
pressing, for many cheese are imper-
fectly closed and remain rough On the
surface, with bad rind. This is a great
drawback to their sale, for 3 smooth,
level, blooming surface is q great at
traction in the eye of buy er, The
cheese should be turned in the hoops re-
peatedly, and never taken out finally
until properly closed, smooth and neat.
English cheese-makers bestow much
more care on the outside appearances,
turning their cheese twice in the hoops
every day and pressing them two or
three days, making sure that they are
perfect. And if American cheese are
meant to equal the finest English in
price they must be equally cared for
and made sound and handsome. The
education of cheese and butter makers
by papers read or speeches made at dairy
conventions has undoubtedly effected
much good, but mere verbal instruction,
elaborate speeches or papers, are not
sufficient, and at best, ARE only auXiliarieS.
Education must be begun in the make
room with practical instruction, and
should be supplemented and perfected
by comparing the products of our best
makers with those of inferior makers.
on the boards of a showroom, where
the various qualities can be determined,
compared, criticised and adjudicated
upon, where merit and defect may be
pointed out, their causes explained and
the notifications necessary to correct
these faults intelligibly shown. This
could not fail to be powerful lever to
improve the quality of butter and cheese.
Most makers as rule have few oppor-
tunities OF seeing the finest classes of
goods and still less of comparing their
own with such. This want should no
longer be allowed to exist. Every dis
trict should have an annual exhibition
of butter and cheese which every dairy,
farmer and factoryman should support,
and compete those in fair and honorable
rivalry. the management of these shows
being in the hands of men who COM
mand the confidence of exhibitors.
These district shows would act as feed
ers to an annual State exhibition of
dairy produce, supported by member
ship from every factory in the State
whose annual subscriptions would form
a fund for liberal prizes, the COMPETE
tion for which would awaken n shirt |