Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-08-13
DISCOVERED BY WISCONSIN Elk.
PERTINENT STATION.
LESS CHEESE SHRINKAGE
Result Of Investigations Carried on
U. S. Baer Will be to Save Much
Loss in Weight During Ripenne
Process of Cheese.

nv wisconsin dSllCuIluld al eApeIl
ment station mas discovered the
valuable fact that cheese cured in an
atmosphere of low temperature sus
tains a far less shrinkage than the
cheese cured in warmer atmosphere
The discovery is not valuable to Wis
consin cheese makers alone but to
those throughout the country. The in
dustry is more important 10 Wisconsin
than TO any other western state as
Wisconsin is the leading cheese-pro
ducing state of the west.
BY the application of this discovery
manufacturers may put their product
through the process of ripening and
sustain a far less loss by shrinkage
than when the ordinary atmosphere is
used. AS result the discovery cold
storage places of various kinds will be
constructed in connection with cheese
factories, places so constructed that
the temperature can be easily gov
erned, and in these the cheese will be
ripened. 1t is known that under
ground storage places can he built at
comparatively small expense and
these are to be kept at the desired
low temperature with a comparatively
small amount of ice
The history and results of the ex-
periments are contained in a bulletin,
No 10l, just issued by the university
agricultural station. The experiments
were conducted by DR.. s. M. Babcock,
Prof II. l.. Russell and U. S. Baer
During the last year an exceptional
opportunity was offerd for a series OF
studies on this point, in an experiment
which they have been conducting
under the auspices of the United
States department of agriculture.
At their suggestion, the department
Instituted a series of experiments on
the cold-curng of cheese which was
purchased under commercial condi
tions in the different chesapeake
| ing sections of the country. The
eastern experiments were placed
agricultural experiment station, and
the western experiments under the
the direction of Wisconsin station.
For the purposes of this experiment
naturally Chicago would have been
chosen as a curing station, but the ex-
perimentters found it difficult to make
arrangements for the range in
Temperature desired. Suitable ar
lrangements, however were made at
the commercial cold storage ware
house of the Roach & Seeker Co.,
| Waterloo, where rooms were fitted up
and the desired temperatures secured.
| As Wisconsin is the leading cheese
producing state Of the west naturally
the bulk of the product selected should
represent the type of cheese manu-
| featured in this state. In order, how
ever, to more thoroughly cover the
cheese producing territory of the west,
samples were also secured from a
number of the neghboring states In
this way, all types of American cheese
were obtained, ranging from the firm,
export, typical cheddar cheese to the
soft, open-bodied, moist cheese in
tended for early consumption,
In having the cheese made at the
various factories, directions were
given for the use OF uniform amount
of rennet and salt. Color was left
optional for each maker to follow his
customary practice. The cheese was
made from September 26 to october 4.
The condition of the milk was in
fluenced in several instances by the
fact that severe frosts had occurred in
some sections, which injured the
quality OF the product. This was par
ticularly true in the case of the La
Crosse cheese which was somewhat
tainted. The milk from which the
Iowa cheese was made was also re-
ported as of inferior quality. The
Michigan goods were too high acid,
and were cooked low, making soft
cheese which was quick curing, and
kept poorly.
Where 1t was necessary TO secure
cheese from such wide range of
territory, it was manifestly impossible
to expect that the curing could be
carried out as satisfactorily as it
would be II it had been done directly
at the factories. The varying period
of transit 30 which the cheese was
subjected with no especial tenn
perature control, affected of course the
initial stage OF curing. but the con.
ditious of the experiment prevented
the carrying out of immediate installa.
tion of the cheese in the cold curing
room, especially in the case of those
made outside OF Wisconsin, although
the shipments were made III October
when the temperature range was
moderate.
The cheese were weighed and put in
the respective rooms as soon as re
ceived at Waterloo, They we're stored
in boxes during the curing as is the
custom in the handling of cold storage
goods. The temperatures at which We
desired to hold the cheese for curing
we're 40 degrees. so degrees AMI &
degrees F. These points were selected