The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-07-19
FiRST-CLASS CHEESE.
Methods That Will Enable Our Datryn
to Meet Canadian Competition.

Methods That Will Enable Our Dairymen
to Meet Canadian Competition.
Poor milk should be rejected at the
factory. With good milk there is no
need of turning out any poor cheese,
with the opportunities now afforded
for information on the subject. Too
many cheese-makers refuse to avail
themselves of the knowledge brought
out from time to time, through investi-
cation. They belong to that class OF
farmers who do not believe in book
farming. For the past three years
Canada has outstripped us in the mar
kets. The past winter Prof. Robert
son, the Canadian dairy instructor.
lectured at dozen of the Wisconsin
institutes. and gave the people val,ia-
bic information upon cheese-making.
especially in the spring. To avoid the
clammy condition soloudly complained
OF. he advised the use OF an extra
amount of rennet, to assist in the more
complete liberation OF water from the
curd, and secure better coagulation.
For March and April milk. use ounces
of the best rennet TO 1000 pounds OF
milk. The curd should be freed from
the whey at the perceptible point OF
acidity, and the after acid put on
'.dry." by keeping the curd as high us
nincty-five degrees. When ready for
the salt use /! pounds of best salt to
l 900 pounds Of milk. This is IA great
change from the first ideas, but those
who are following this advice, on this
side the lake, say that they have never
had such good results in improved
quality and improved yield from the
milk. With the Canadians out-selling us
in open market it would seem that we
should profit by their practices, espec-
tally when their best instructor comes
to this government and gives us the
lessons gratis.
A noted buyer of cheese tola mo
lately that one serious fault with a
great many cheese-makers is the use OF
bad rennet Said he: ..Rennet should
be made fresh, every other day at least,
and with weak brine Mt that, never
with whey. Rennets are often ''rein-
forced" with new ones, the old ones
remaining in the solution until they
are actually rotten, and these germs OF
decay go into the cheese, and finding
congenial home, multiply with aston
ishing rapidity and get the mastery Of
the rennet action. and a bad cheese re-
suits, which would have been avoided
il freshly made rennet had been used"
This is sound advice. Curing cheese is
not drying it; giving it ''age' is the
result of rennet ferment; a digestive
action, but retarded by the small guam
tity used and the salt. When germs OF
other ferments get in their work, there
is a suspension of the action of reInet,
and we get cheese off flavor, rotten, or
having some other undesirable condi-
ton that disgusts the purchaser, and
he resolves never to buy any more
cheese. The first one to put his stamp
on good cheese is the man who fur
nishes the milk, and next the maker.
Either can ruin the product, but when
both work together, one furnishing the
best OF milk and the other doing his
best, and always seeking to find out Il
better way to manufacture, then we can
look for a better demand for cheese.
And our failure is Canada's oppor-
tunity. The more We indulge in care
less ways and foolish methods, the
longer will our cheese be looked upon
with suspicion, and those who do their
best will reap the rcward.-COr. Ohio
| Farmer.