Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1881-02-10
THE DAILY.
PrOgrcss OF Cheese-NIaking.

lie ID ALuOIu SpOhO uo AOA4OWO OOnOSAA-
ing the lessons Of the past in cheese
making: -
In order to get clearer understand
inc Of these lessons, let us look over
what has been done in the past.
When the American Dairymen's AssO-
citation came into existence we were
making cheese entirel ly IN private dairies
with old-fashioned implements, heating
only a portion of the milk and pouring
that into the rest We had very un-
equal curd and as soon as it was sailed
it was put at once to the press. There
was, therefore, great variety in our
cheese, but doubt if we have any bet
ter nowadays than some of the cheese
made then. Next we came to the fac
tory.system and took the sweet curd
process in its fullest sense, and the re-
suit was the same as in the dairy, Civ
ing great variety of quality. We used
to keep the cheese then and sell it late
in the fall. This system gave our fac
torymen great trouble, and much loss
occurred. Some one let the curd lie in
the whey for while until it became
sour and noticed that it stood the hard
ships Of commerce a great deal better.
1t gave uniformity and durability But
the more the acid was developed the
more it destroyed the fine flavor of our
goods. The result was that it took out
more water, made the cheese dryer, and
also made it of lower flavor. There was
an attemptto introduce the Cheddar
system, but it was not favOrably re-
ceived at first. The cheese might be
fine, but it would not sell any better,
and really cost more on account
of the extra labor. After
time less acid was used and
better cheese made, a mild acid
cheese; but this was not done to any
great extent. We are still making acid
cheese in the generality of cases, but in
modified form. But we felt the ne
cessity Of making another improvement
in the way of rennet, by which we could
get rid of the filth and nastiness con-
3ected with the old system. Nobody
knew anything about the nature of
rennet. Now we are furnished with
very fine extract which does away with
the filth and gives much better uniform
ity. We have,also made some progress
in the matter of colOring. This brings
cheese under the head Of adulteration,
nor is the coloring any advantage, but
rather q detriment. Still we use only
an extract Of vegetable matter instead
of raw herb as formerly. Next came
the no-aeid. system, not so strictly
speaking but comparatively only. For
there is sufficient carbonic acid gas con-
stantly being evolved to give an acid
reaction unless special pains are taken
to drive off the gas BY heat. But a
point was made by insisting upon the
necessity of drawing the whey before
any dactic acid developed. The reason
assigned was that a portion of the min
eral matter in the caseine phosphate Of
lime) being dissolved out changed the
character of the caseine, rendering it
less soluble and digestible. In our old
preparations of rennets we couldn't
keep them through hot weather without
sailing heavily, but we learned to use
our whey and at first much pleased
with it. After a while we found that
it was not rennet we were getting but
a sharp acid action instead, which was
distinct from the rennet action. In
using the acid process the milk wants
to be at certain advanced stage, about
twelve hours old, and we used to turn
in sour whey to hurry up the acidifying
process. But it was found that there
was a defect in the digestibility of the
cheese, and also in its flavor. We insist
ed then upon drawing the whey sweet,
which was not anew thing nor did /
ever claim it to be. The reason was
because it was discovered that cheese
lacked digestibility when the curd was
permitted TO lie in sour whey. The proc
ess was now very much like the ched-
dar system, and finally that system was
adopted entirely for the remaining OPP
erations in the manufacture. But I'M
provements were made in this also.
The cheesy flavor was better developed
when the curd was kept warm and fine,
aired and stirred, the whey being drawn
until a proper degree OF ripeness was
attained. And this has proved an ad-
vanced step in the process of cheese
making. II is not much used in this
State, but In Pennsylvania, the West,
and more particularly in Canada.
Something more has been gained also
in regard to the action of rennet than
ever before. My point has been that
rennet makes the cheese. If we depend
on acid alone we don't get cheese, but
we can get it with nothing but rennet.
This has been demonstrated during the
last year at Cornell University. The
experiments were described. But when
the curd was ripened with rennet alone
there was no favor, it was insipid,
which showed that it needed oxygen
to give tins flavor. The curing OF
cheese, therefore, is an oxydizing proc
ess. Free oxygen develops the flavor,
and this has been an important bearing
on the curing of cheese. Acurrent Of
air is necessary in order to give high
flavor, as in the RoquefOrt cheese,
which is cured in caves with draft OF
air blowing over it, To get mild
cheese it should be cured in warm,
close, moist atmosphere. These facts
enable us to control the manufacture OF
cheese so far as its flavor is concerned.
AT the late meeting of the Illinois
Dairymen's Association one prominent
dairy farmer said that when hay sold at
IL r.. L -