A CHEESE-MAKER’S DIARY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 751, 23 July 1886, Page 15

A CHEESE-MAKER’S DIARY.

Mr J. T. Moore, of Crewe, has published a pamphlet of some 20 pages with 12 open folios, for six months, in which to enter to the particulars of each day’s make, as respects the weather, the milk, the rennet, the curd, the press, the cheese, and whey-, butter. ‘ There are so many causes,’ he says, * why cheese-making, with good and careful cheese-makers, fails that he believes it is most important that a careful daily record of events connected with the weather, and the manipulation of milk and curd should be made. This will be useful for comparison when the cheeses are tested ; or iD the event of an expert being appointed to travel from dairy to dairy, the cause of failure would be explained and noted in the space left for factors’ remarks. A few faulty cheeses will depreciate the value of a dairy 20s per cwt more or less, whilst a medium quality of cheese of a more uniform quality will command its full value. In order to obtain this desirable condition, system and great cleanliness in every operation is necessary. This brings us to the reason for compiling this book. Under the head of weather, the state of the weather, also barometer and thermometer readings are noticed—each of these are important factors, to what extent we cannot at present determine; so with the quantity and heat of the milk, and quality or percentage of cream, and more especially the influence of good or bad rennet is very marked : also the manipulation of the curd. Our knowledge of the various processes has of late years been much increased, but we hope for far greater improvments in cheese-making from the painstaking and careful daily record of all the operations connected with the preparation of the most strengthening, nutritious, and valuable of British foods. In conclnsion, we may say that without cleanliness in all departments of cheese making, from milking to delivering the cheese, we may not even hope for the high and splendid quality for which this county is so justly noted, and which is her only chance for successful competition against countries whose supply is unlimited.’ We thus quote almost the whole of the preface of a very useful little publication.