At the request of Sir Dillon Bell, the Agent-General for New Zealand, we have put as concisely as possible some of the essentials for making a good Cheddar-system cheese. Our firm has had over Seventy years' experience in the cheese-and-butter trade, first dealing largely in cheese actually made in the Cheddar Valley, and also in the many varieties of western, Continental, and home produce. At the present time our agents buy in all the leading American and Canadian markets, and we have branches and representatives throughout the United Kingdom selling dairy-produce from all parts of the globe.

Samuel Budgett and Son,

Bristol, England, also of London, Liverpool, New York, and Montreal, Importers of Dairy-produce, Exporters of Cheese-and Butter-making Apparatus, and Supplies.

To put a good cheese on the English market each of the following sections require special attention: First, the pasture, cows, and milk; second, making and maturing the cheese; third, the shipment. We deal with each stage in detail as far as possible.

This pamphlet is not a theoretical treatise, nor does it pretend to give any new or startling information, but merely a statement of facts, and the best methods derived from our experience in the making and selling of cheese, space not admitting of our giving the why and wherefore of each point.

The Pasture.

One great reason why our home-made cheese has a world-wide reputation is owing to the fine pasture. The meadows have been laid down for years, and consist of the finest grades of strong sound grass which experience and time can produce, free from artificial manuring and from all rank herbs which would flavour the milk; and in these pastures neither sheep, pigs, or poultry feed.

In Wisconsin, and elsewhere in the United States of America, many of the dairy-cattle feed on pastures formerly covered with thick forests. The timber is now cleared, and only the stumps left, but the rank herbs remain, and the cheese of the district has a her by flavour, which damages the sale.

In one of our prize English dairies, whose cheese we took every year, we noticed last season a peculiar flavour about some days' make, and consequent depreciation in value. The dairymaid declared the cheese was made exactly as in previous seasons; and it was only after careful examination we discovered that a flock of sheep had been running in some of the fields, and the days the cows were on this land the milk was tainted; when the cows were elsewhere the milk was all right.

In pasture we include water, and it is impossible to lay too much stress on the necessity of an ample supply of fresh clear water, as in nine cases out of ten bad milk and pin-holey curd can be traced to a defect in the water-supply.

Last year we paid a premium for a particular Canadian factory of specially-good reputation; but on arrival of the cheese in England it was off flavour, and some scarcely fit for food. Neither the maker nor our men had noticed anything when they were shipped, but after considerable personal investigation on the farms in Canada we found that owing to the severe drought the cattle had been drinking stale bad water.

Even before the milk is drawn it may be affected, for should the supply of water run short in hot weather, and the cows have to go any distance for it, the milk will assuredly be injuriously affected.

Breed of Cattle.

The breed of cattle is too debatable a point to enter into, but it is a well-established fact that it costs no more to keep a good milked than a poor one.

For cheese-making the breed is immaterial if the cows are carefully selected, and the poor milkers constantly weeded out.

In Canada the average quantity of milk per cow in the season is 3,000lb., whilst in Denmark it is 6,000lb.; and a dairy-cow should not be considered satisfactory until it gives 5,000lb. of milk.

To feed a cow well and regularly at all times is more important than the breed. There is an old saying, "Feed a cow on pea-straw and you will get a pea-straw profit."

In selecting a dairy-cow look to the following points : She should have a highly-developed nervous organization; see to the brain, She should have a broad muzzle, broad nostril, with fair distance between the nose and eyes, and a clean-cut face like a racehorse; a large full eye, eyes wide apart and prominent; strong junction of spine and brain-spine, showing full and strong from neck to tail; shoulder fairly page 101 pointed, backbone rising at the crops, the clime-back of the shoulder points lean, back strong across the middle, points of the hips prominent; loin wide, broad, thin; generally loosely built, ham thin, and hollows prominent, pelvis broad and open, abdominal muscles strong and full, retreating brisket.

Remember it is a milker and not a beefy cow you want: in the latter all her works are posthumous. It is too common a failing to look upon a Jersey as a villa cow; the dairyman has his eyes ever set upon the beef to come out of the cow in the end, no matter what it may cost to get at it.

Notes on Feeding.

In a severe drought, when no rain has fallen for many weeks, it has been found that more milk is required to the pound of cheese—say, 13lb. instead of 10lb. The cows shrink in the solids of the milk, showing a certain amount of succulence is required in the grass to keep the right amount of solids in the milk. Bran is the best remedy. About two to four quarts daily should be given in summer.

The food should be moistened with hot water—not made wet—twenty-four hours before feeding.

It is found that on a sandy loam red-clover as feed has a tendency to make a dry cheese, whilst white-clover has the reverse. Of course turnips and suchlike taint milk.

The cow should be kept up and fed regularly when dry, and never allowed to get out of condition.

A cow should have Jib. of salt daily, and granulated is altogether better than lump. This acts as a preservative in the first instance, and also helps to keep up the full flow of milk. Numerous tests prove conclusively that salt has a direct effect on the yield of milk.

The Milk.

Cows should be milked as nearly as possible at the same hour morning and evening. Treat the cows kindly, and be as quiet as possible; do not get them excited. For these reasons a woman is the best milker. A cow, like a human being, has idiosyncrasies, and the milker must study them.

Before milking sponge the teats and udders, and thoroughly wash the hands. In some dairies it is the rule to wash the hands after milking two cows. Never dip the fingers into or moisten them with the milk. Currycomb the cow daily.

Milk into tin pails, and scald them thoroughly after use. Strain the milk through three thicknesses of butter-cloth, and immediately tool and aerate it. A good and simple apparatus for this purpose is made of two tins, one above the other. The bottom pail is the cooler, for holding the cold water or ice; the pail on top is the milk reservoir, with a strainer inside. This pail should contain page 102 about 5 gallons of milk and have a pressed concave bottom, with small holes 1/16 in. around the outer edge and ¾in. apart. The holes act as a distributer, and the milk passes over the outside of the lower pail in a thin sheet, and falls into a circular trough a few inches in size attached to the base of the cooler or lower tin, and out of a spout into the milk-can. Neglect to aerate the milk will increase the quantity of milk required to make a pound of cheese.

Where the milk is delivered for cheese-making only once daily the evening's milk should be kept in a tin thoroughly protected from rain, odours, &c., at a temperature of 55° to 60°, though if well aerated it may go to 65° or even 70°. The milk must be absolutely sweet—a whole batch of cheese will be spoiled by a small quantity of stale or tainted milk. It should be kept a certain time at a certain temperature to have it matured, so as to begin the cheese-making process properly.

We have merely indicated the points to be looked at, and now come to the making, presuming that the milk is fresh, and without: taints from the causes we have hinted.

Every utensil must be absolutely sweet and clean; all pails, milk-cans, receiving-cans, faucets, and spouts, and all implements used, must be thoroughly scalded with water (not merely hot) daily, and directly after use. Impure water, the smallest particle of stale milk clinging to any utensil, or milk exposed to any odours, either one of these will cause an open and tainted curd.

Making.

There are many systems in vogue for making cheese, and no system can be absolutely relied on without the cheesemakers' brain and experience. The different kinds and varieties of cheese are produced by certain organisms, and depend on the quantity of acid developed and moulds obtained by special ferments. We only describe the Cheddar system, and the main conditions to be considered are the temperature and consistency of the milk.

What is wanted is a cheese containing a small percentage of moisture, which will cut smooth, solid, and firm, and have a sweet nutty flavour, and every cheese of a uniform character and size. This is the profitable kind of cheese, always saleable. When the market is glutted it is with inferior stock which is rapidly depredating.

What we have to say in the making applies equally to cheese made by an individual fanner, or in a factory; but we say without hesitation that the latter system is best if there is a sufficient supply of milk within a convenient distance, being more economical and more easily supervised.

The cheese-factory should have an outside trough for the whey, a small shed for the boiler, an engine, and a deep cool-well. Just inside the wide door at the end of the building stand the scales, on page 103 the top of which is a large tin can, holding probably 75 gallons. The milk is measured by the pound, and as each team drives up with its cans the milk is emptied into the great can, weighed, and the number of pounds put down opposite the owner's number. A tin ladder or gutter connects the receiving-can with the vats holding 600 gallons each.

There are several stages in the making : First, adding the rennet to the milk; second, the curd thickens so that it can be cut; third, the highest point of heat; fourth, drawing the whey and stirring the curd; fifth, grinding the curd; sixth, mixing in the salt; seventh, hooping and pressing.

We presume, then, that all the necessary implements and utensils are ready, thoroughly scalded, and perfectly sweet and clean, and that good milk is in the vat. The double-lined vats, heated by hot water (not steam) with mechanical stirrers, enable the cheese-maker to keep the process more regular and uniform. The exact quantity of rennet and salt to be used, and exact time and method of dealing with every stage, requires experience, but close attention to our hints will show what to aim for.

The Rennet.

The rennet must be of the finest quality. Professor Robinson, of the Agricultural College, Guelph, the great authority in Canada, entirely condemns the use of ordinary home-made rennet; and every one who has used the preparations of liquid rennet and rennetine-powder knows how much more satisfactory the result is.

Before adding the rennet carefully examine the milk to see in what condition it is, and work accordingly. The milk should then be brought to a temperature of, say, 80° to 84°, stir in the rennet for about five minutes, and then leave it still.

It is very important to mix the proper quantity of rennet with the milk, and of a given strength—say, 3oz. to 5oz. to 1,000lb. of milk, or one teaspoonful to 8 gallons; when using such extracts as Blumen-thal's 8oz. is too much. The latest invention is rennetine-powder, which gives results as far ahead of those obtained by liquid extract of rennet as the difference between the latter and ordinary unprepared veils.

Dilute the rennet in the proportions of about 15oz. to 20oz. to a pail of water, say, 3 gallons. The quantity of rennet to be used depends on the quality and condition of the milk, the pasturage, and the season of the year. If the milk is over-ripe or acid, more rennet must be used to hasten the coagulation of the milk. The curd should thicken in ten or fifteen minutes. The milk from cows on poor pasturage requires more rennet than from strong pasturage. In the early part of the season, say, one-third more rennet is required than at other times. Discretion and experience is required, but an excess of rennet ripens the cheese too quickly, and it soon goes off in quality.

The first action of the rennet is to coagulate the curd; the second: to expel the moisture. At this point the milk is a pulpy mass uniform in thickness, and creamy in colour. At all times vat-covers are indispensable, to preserve uniform temperature whilst the milk thickens, and throughout the whole process. The making-room must also be kept to one uniform and regular temperature, as bitten flavoured cheese is usually the consequence of a chill.

2. Cutting The Curd.

Here, again, the time depends on the season of the year and condition of the milk; but in about thirty minutes in spring, or forty-five to fifty minutes any other season, or when the milk is acid, the curd should be ready for cutting, the temperature being about 80° to 84°. A thermometer is necessary.

A large knife, having six blades set horizontally and about 18in. long, is taken through and through and up and down the mass. This causes the curd to sink to the bottom and the whey to rise.

No rule can be laid down as to the size of the pieces which should be cut, but it should not be cut very fine or very coarse. If the milk is good the curd may be cut rather coarse. Cut as coarse as circumstances will allow, and assist the escape of moisture by handling the curd thoroughly.

It is best to have two sets of knives, one for the summer, the blades set at 3/8in. apart; and the other set at 5/8in. for other times, and when the milk is in perfect condition. It is best to cut horizontally first, then every part of the curd is cut into slices about ¼in. thick,; and after cutting perpendicularly leaves blocks about ½in. to ¾in.

The curd must immediately be stirred, first very gently and thoroughly, for, say, fifteen minutes, until the curd is healed over. Much care must be exercised, as rough stirring destroys the curd and sends it into the whey. Afterwards stir with considerable roughness; it is better to have it over-than under-stirred.

Third Stage.

Begin heating slowly, and gradually increasing as the whey clears, up to 98°, neither more nor less. Test with a thermometer continue stirring. Here the mechanical stirrers are most useful, or a simple implement for manual use may be made—a long handle with a cross-head, this head having several long teeth broad and thin at the bottom, gradually narrowing at the top. Push down one side of the vat and pull back the other : this gives a boiling-motion to the milk and a uniform heat to the curd. Stir sufficiently rapidly to keep the curd on the surface of the whey.

Never let the curds settle on each other, or allow lumps to form while heating. A proper system of agitation is most important; all particles of the curd must be kept moving, the proper movement being from the bottom upwards, going down one side but not the other.

When the temperature is up to 98° stir gently now and then for about fifteen to twenty minutes.

4. Drawing the Whey.

For this a strainer and siphon are used. The whey is passed down a gutter in the floor, and out into a trough in the yard some distance away. The whey is then used for feeding pigs and young stock.

A very important part of the process is to ascertain the precise condition of the curd before the whey is removed, and it is absolutely necessary to test carefully. Drawing the whey early, and stirring the curd thoroughly, gives a keeping quality to the cheese.

The simplest method of testing is to heat an iron, squeeze up a lamp of curd, press lightly against the hot iron, and when fine hairs can be drawn the acid is about to develop.

It is very desirable to have the whey removed from the curd before the acid develops; therefore draw the whey sweet, and if the curd is soft, draw the whey earlier than you would otherwise. The best results are usually got when the bulk of the whey is drawn as early as possible, for if it is left it augments any trace of taint should there be such. If the milk is sour or old the whey must be drawn before any acidity develops; but if the milk is tainted, or the curd open, more acidity must be developed, until hairs ¼ in. long can be drawn on the hot iron.

After removal of the whey the curd should be kept at a tempera-tore of 94° or over. Stir well with hands five or six times, then pack slim all over the vat. Cut into fairly-large pieces, and turn them over every fifteen minutes; use the thermometer, and keep heat regular. The length of time between setting the milk and draw-pig the whey depends on the condition of the milk and the temperature. The curd should be hand-stirred, and not allowed to pack into lumps, until it feels firm, shotty, and squeaks between the teeth. If the milk is old or acid it may be a question of minutes; or if the milk is very fresh time is about five hours we may say. About five to six hours is average with properly-matured curd. With the curd at a low temperature, the fermentation takes longer. The temperature must be carefully watched at every point, and only a reliable thermometer, which has been tested, used. The more acid the cheese the quicker it ripens, and the old adage is only too true with regard to cheese, "Soon ripe, soon rotten."

This completes the process of expelling the whey, and the amount of moisture should be reduced from about 87° to 35° at the highest heat, and only 40° when the whey has been drawn. The curd should now be firm and solid. Unless the moisture is properly expelled the cheese will not keep or mature, so as to command a high price.

5. Grinding the Curd.

A curd-mill is indispensable. We will describe a simple form A mill for this operation: It is a circular disc, having an iron rim. In the disc are four slits, with large teeth like a saw, and four cross-knives, with sharp cutting edge attached. This disc is fed by a hopper, and turned either by manual or mechanical power, when it cuts the curd into small pieces or thin strips, which are usually ¼in thick and 1in. wide. The curd should now be at a temperature of about 95°, and the grinding commenced directly the curd will draw hairs ½in. long on the hot iron, or in spring Jin. Be sure to have nil free whey. Grind only once if there are no pin-holes; but if the curd is open and porous it must be put through the mill twice. Keep the curd warm—say, from 90° to 94°—to develop the lactic acid, and kill the organisms which cause the holes.

6. Mixing the Salt.

This process should be commenced in three-quarters of an hour after grinding in the early season, or in a hour and a half later on in the season or if the milk is not right, and in about two hours in the fall.

Air and stir the curd before salting for about half an hour, and again before putting it in the hoops. Salt, about 2½lb. to 1,0001b. of milk, going by measure and not by weight; stir it in thoroughly and uniformly, then air for an hour in the fall: and with tainted milk or porous curd salt more heavily. Be careful to use only the best salt—any impurity will be deleterious to the cheese. Have the salt dry. A coarse sieve is the best distributer of the salt.

Too little salt spoils the cheese altogether, whilst too much merely delays the ripening. Salting well gives the keeping quality.

The first action of salt on the curd is to harden the outside; soon penetrates the whole, making it mellow and yielding. In the third stage the curd is hard and unyielding; the curd should be put in the hoops before this stage, say, in fifteen or twenty minutes after salting. Half an hour is a safe time, beyond which the curd should never be left.

Bandages.

In England strong linen bandages with ties and caps are used and removed when the cheese is fully matured; but in America they use a seamless closely-woven tube of linen the diameter of the cheese, and the cheese is made in it, so the tube forms the outside of the cheese. This tube is cut off in proper lengths and slipped over a wide hoop the depth and width of the cheese. The hoop is filled with the required weight of curd, and the hoop removed, leaving the bandage round the curd in the form of a cheese, and ready for the press.

The cheese should be made to weigh from 65lb. to 70lb., or even up to 80lb.; they should stand up square, the length being more than the diameter.

7. Hooping and Pressing.

The hooping and pressing should be done in, say, thirty minutes after salting, but in spring rather sooner; or with tainted milk and open porous curd about two hours. Put the curd in the hoops not too warm. The hoops, press-boards, cap-cloths, &c., must be scrupulously clean, and thoroughly scalded every other day. Put on the pressure very gently at first, taking care it is applied evenly and squarely; gradually increase at intervals of about twenty-five minutes, and put the whole pressure on by evening; then leave until the morning.

To make a good sound mealy cheese, rather more than 10lb. of milk to the pound of cheese are required. This gives the flakiness and keeping quality which makes the value of cheese.

The maker must aim to make the best quality of cheese out of the milk; the quantity is a secondary question. The cheese should be of uniform size and quality, so that fifty can be sold on the one as sample. The cheese should be turned in the press in the morning before going to the curing-room.

To give a finished appearance to the cheese, and a good smooth hard and perfect rind, it is very necessary to trim off the rough edges in the press, lay down the bandage, carefully wash off any soiled roots, &c., before putting in the curing-room. All cheese should be finished of a symmetrical shape, and kept in the presses until the rinds are smooth, and the corners free from any projecting edges or Boulders.

Rind.

The cheese should be capped, the cloth pressed and left on the cheese for at least two weeks in the curing-room.

Curing.

Grease but little, using pure-flavoured whey oil, and hand-rub often, turning the cheese daily. Keep the room at an even temperature of 65° to 70°; the richer the cheese the lower should be the temperature. The curing-room should have double windows and doors, with closed shutters, to secure an even temperature; good ventilation must also be provided. Box the cheese when cured—say, three to four weeks old. Well grease the cheese before boxing; the scale-boards will then adhere to the tops and prevent mites King into the rinds.

Shipping.

Assuming the cheese is properly cured, and in perfect condition, is has now to be marketed. Many a perfect cheese has been spoiled by want of care in shipping. A perfect rind is the first essential.

Packages.

The package in the first place makes a favourable or unfavourable impression on the buyer, and directly influences the sale of the goods. Therefore see that the boxes are neat in appearance; strong, to stand rough handling; the cover-band on the head thick, and able to resist considerable knocking about, the covers fitting well; the boxes of straight-grained wood, uniform in size and weight, shaved down to fit on the top of the cheese, and to fit nicely, that the cheese is neither loose nor jammed in. See the cheese carefully handled when shipping—that the packages are in good order, and the cheese protected from damp, heat, or cold, and stowed tight in the steamer, away from the engines or any cargo of a liquid nature or with a strong odour.

If each point herein mentioned is carefully attended to, the cheese must command the top market-price.

Further particulars as to the best rennet, colouring, and salt to be used, and the latest improvements in the necessary implements, will be furnished on application.