Chapter II: Preface (2)

When all the Curd is got firm at the bottom of the Tub, by pressure of the hand, let all the Whey be taken from it; then let it stand one quarter of an Hour for the Curd to settle, drain, and get solid, before you break it into the Vat; if any bits of slip-Curd happen to be swimming in the Whey, that does not sink with the rest, it had better be put away with the Whey, than put to the Cheese, as it will not cement or join with the solid Curd, and all slip-Curd, as before observed, dissolves or melts, so that it is a detriment to Cheese when ever put in; many People, as soon as the Whey is removed, immediately break the Curd small as possible, and then put it into the Cheese Vat, for finishing. I would always recommend that it rest one quarter of an Hour, before ’tis broke, or vatted; the Cheese would be much better for it, as the Air would more easily separate, and prevent its puffing up under your hand, when squeezing in the Vat, and also prevent the Fat squeezing out, as it often does through your Fingers; which being so much broke, occasions, and certainly it must make your Cheese, both leaner and lighter. I have consulted many good Dairy-women, on the Article of breaking Cheese, and find, ’tis the most general method to break the Curd as small as possible, when put into the Vat; but what makes that more absolutely necessary, is, there being slip-Curd amongst it, and that never appears to embody, or join with the rest, unless broke and thoroughly mixed; and even then I am fully convinced is of no use for the reason above given; although I have laid it down as a rule, never to stir or gather the Cheese in less than an Hour and half, many of the best Dairy-women I have ever consulted, generally let it stand two Hours; by which time the Curd is got to be of so firm a nature, as to render the breaking of it at all absolutely needless, it being got so solid, they only cut it in slices, put it into the Vat and work it well into it, by squeezing thoroughly to make it firm and close, then put it into the Press, and no more is needful. The finest, fattest and best Cheese I have seen, I have been informed was made this way; there is sure to be no sweet Cheese, horny-coated, or jointed Cheese made in this manner; sometimes I have observed Cheese that has been sunk, tho’ very fat and well tasted, that would become very hard and cut chiselly, which I take to be owing to the Curd getting very cold and set hard before Vatted, to prevent its doing so, it may be necessary to break the Curd and not give it quite so much time in earning; as many People prefer Cheese that is not so very solid, or that has a mellow softness, which breaking will give it; although it is reckon’d the best quality to cut solid, and flakey; remembering that giving it more time in earning makes it more solid, and shortening the time makes it less so. Many Dairy-women are much puzzled concerning the cause of sweet Cheese, forming different ideas about it; I am fully convinced it is wholly caused by stirring or breaking it too soon in the Tub, by which means the Runnet has never taken full effect, nor is any slip-Curd ever fit to make Cheese with, in what ever state it may appear, unless in soft Cheese, or slip-coat Cheese; for when Curd is quite in a slippery state, especially if very warm, salt will have very little effect on it, which is the cause it is so apt to putrify and dissolve, and a very principal cause why Cheese becomes sweet, is, its not having taken salt, as you may generally perceive Cheese that is much jointed or blue-pared has scarce any relish or saltness in it. When the Whey is of a white colour the Curd is not fully settled, and if it is so to any great degree, the Cheese is sure to be sweet, and in that case you always cast away great part of what should be Cheese, for the Whey thus put away would neither turn to Butter nor Cheese, though of a considerable substance, remaining of an undigested nature: If you pursue the method I have laid down, you will always find the Whey quite green, which is the colour it ought to be of; and let more or less be the time you adopt to put your Cheese together, if the Whey is not green, depend upon it your Cheese is not properly come, or your Maw-skin is not good, or quantity of Runnet not sufficient. It is difficult to ascertain what quantity of Runnet is required to bring a Cheese in the most proper manner, as the quality of the Skin is so various, and strength of Runnet, as well as quality of Milk so different; People are much divided in opinion, whether ’tis the best way to make your Runnet fresh every Day, or to prepare a quantity together, according to the quantity you want and bottle it up for use; in large Dairy’s it must be best to make a quantity together, as you certainly must be a better judge of the quality, or what quantity is necessary, than when the making is left to chance, as by that means you may regulate the quality and taste of your Cheese better, and have more dependance on the time of its coming.

The best Dairy-women I have known, in general, recommend the latter method.

The cause of jointing or wind-shook Cheese, is from a small quantity of slip-Curd being much broke, so as not sufficient, to form Eyes in the Cheese; but which is sufficient when dissolved through the whole mass, to leave a vacancy, which generally unites in a perpendicular direction, and forming cracks or joints within the Cheese, and sinking joints nearly like to cracks on the outside. If it happens to any considerable degree, it causes the Cheese to have very little taste, generally turns blue-pared whilst under a year old, and often rotten Cheese when older; most dry rotten Cheese is produced from this effect, unless when bruises, or cracks are the cause. Wet, or moist rotten is generally produced by a larger quantity of slip-Curd; having never united in a solid state, nor taken any salt, becomes very putrid and rots, and as the Cheese dissolves, is often very wet or moist. I have several times seen Cheese that has appeared sound till cut, that afterwards had not a pound of sound Cheese in a whole one. Spungy Cheese is such as partakes of the elastic or springing quality of a Spunge, I take it to be produced from Curd, which has nearly undergone every proper fermentation to make the Curd unite, but leaves it in a very tough state, caused by the over heat of the Milk when put together. Rank, or strong Cheese is generally caused by too great a quantity of Runnet, and that Runnet made too strong to operate in the time given, or from Runnet being made with foul materials; hove, or heaved Cheese is caused by different means; when the quantity of Air in Cheese increases after the Cheese has been some time made, I suppose such Air to be rarified by a greater heat than the Cheese has before been in, the coat being got hard and the pores much closed, the Air expands within, and causes the Cheese to rise or swell, in a round form; this is very visible when you put a taster into the Cheese or a pin to let out the Air, it rusheth forth with a strong wind, of a rank disagreeable smell, caused by the Air being discharged from putrid or undigested Curd. Sometimes, if Cheese is laid cool when first made, or coming from the Press, is dried outwardly by means of a harsh cool Air, when at the same time the inside of the Cheese remains in a moist state, though the coat is hard and dry; when that Cheese is exposed to heat, either by lying near a hot Wall, or near Tiles in hot Weather, or by the immediate heat of the Sun, it will be drawn up, round, in the same manner, and by the same cause that a board is made round or coffer’d up, by the heat of the Sun; rank Cheese very often heaves, from the cause before given that makes it rank: ’Tis very common for Dairy-women, to ask, what will cure hove, or heav’d Cheese? I am fully of opinion there is no cure for it after it is affected with heaving, but to let the Air out of it, that it may close and settle again. There has for many Years, been an ingredient sold in Shops, called Cheese-powder, being made of nitre or salt petre, and bole armoniac proportion’d thus, to one pound of salt petre, put half an ounce of bole armoniac, both powder’d very fine, and well mixt together, rub about one quarter of an ounce upon a Cheese, when put a second and third time into the Press, about half on each side the Cheese at two different meals, on the upper side, before you rub the salt on, that it may penetrate the Cheese with it; these are very binding ingredients and are sometimes found to be very serviceable, but nitre is apt to give the Cheese an acetous or sourish taste, and if too much is put in, and the Cheese is expos’d to great heat, will cause a fermentation, that will encrease the quantity of Air in the Cheese & cause it to swell more than it would if none had been put in. I have known many things recommended as a cure, but could never find that any thing was serviceable except the above, and piercing, or discharging the Air, with a needle, wire, or skewer. The most powerful preventative to the heaving of Cheese, is, to avoid making the Runnet too strong, or, not to put too much into the Milk, to take care that your Runnet is not foul, nor made either with Whey or Brine drippings, or tainted Skins, to be certain that your Curd is fully come, not stirring it till it has had time for the fermentation fully to take effect, to let it drain a little before it is broke or vatted, and to keep the Cheese warm, till it is got stiff, or had a sweat, and you will, by a careful attention to these particulars, very seldom have any hove Cheese.

Cheese is very apt to split, or divide in the middle, by being salted within, especially, when people spread salt across the middle of the Cheese when the vat is about half filled, which Curd tho’ in a small degree separated by salt, never closes, or joins, and is much easier coffer’d up or drawn round than other Cheese; especially, thin Cheese made in what we call _Glocester_ vats being round or rising in the bottom, and the slider or Cheese-board that is laid over it, made convex also, in order to make the Cheese thinned in the middle, that it may dry quick, for early sale. Then, if salted within and being laid soft on the shelf to dry, as it bears only on the edge all round, it is almost sure to split; and it is often seen, scarce a Cheese in some Dairys of this form but what do split; salting a little in the Milk is greatly preferable, for these Dairys in particular; for as salt dissolves, it keeps the inside of the Cheese moist or soft for sometime, if salted in the Curd, which is what I would never recommend to be done in any Dairy, especially across the middle as is often done. I have sometimes known Cheese thus salted when there has been much slip-Curd in it, and that, and the salt both dissolving together, and the Cheese split, the vacancy shall contain a quantity of Water, which if ironed when Young, gushes out, or else cracks the Cheese when moved, and the Water runs out to a considerable degree, the same thing must have been observed by other Factors, in some Dairys where salting in the middle is used. Cheese is apt to bulge, fly-out, or get round edged, when it is either kept soft, by being moist within, or having too much slip-Curd or unsettled Curd, or elastic Air within it. Dry cracks, or wind cracks are generally produced, by keeping Curd from one meal to another which gets quite cold and fixed, and being put together with Curd that is made of too hot Milk, these two, never properly adhere, or join, and cause the coat to be harsh, and often fly, or crack. Curdly or wrinkle-coated Cheese is caused by sour Milk, chiefly when Cheese is made from two meals, as ’tis very common in hot Weather for Milk to turn, or get sour in one night’s time, especially if Milk is hot when set up, having been much heated in the Cow’s Udder, and very probably much agitated and disturbed by Cows running about, or being heated to a violent degree, or the Milk having been carried in Churns or Barrels on Horse-back any distance; Cheese made of cold Milk, especially if inclined to be sour, is apt to cut chiselly, or that breaks or flies before the knife. Sunk coated Cheese is caused by being made too cold, as you will often find Cheese that is made in Winter or late in Autumn, will be, unless laid in a warm Room after it is made. Two-meal Cheese is made with two meals, or night and mornings Milk, which if put together pure, not having the Cream taken off, will make nearly as good Cheese as new Milk, and much better if it must be finished in one Hour, or less, or when new Milk Cheese is made with Milk that is too hot.

What is generally known by the name of two-meal Cheese, is in _Gloucestershire_ called second Cheese, being made from one meal new Milk and one of old, or skimmed Milk, having the Cream taken away. Skimmed Cheese, or Flet-Milk Cheese, is made from all skimmed Milk, the Cream having been taken off the whole to make Butter, or for other purposes: This sort of Cheese is much made in the County of _Suffolk_, or at least goes by the name of _Suffolk_ Cheese, when at market, or in _London_, where the principal part of it is disposed of; it being much used on ship-board, not being so much affected by the heat of the ship as richer Cheese, or so subject to decay in long Voyages, and being bought at a low price, makes it much called for in that way. There is but little art required in making this Cheese, if care is taken of it, but yet there is great difference in the quality of it, which I am fully convinced is principally caused by want of care; it is not exposed to so many difficulties as richer Cheese, but Dairy-women must remember, slip-curd has the same effect, in a lesser degree in Skim Cheese as in new Milk; though the Milk being much weaker is not in so much danger. An Hour, or an Hour and a Quarter is time enough to give it in rendling; keep the Cheese warm when young, and cool after. I know some Dairy-women do not give it three quarters of an Hour in coming, and thereby find more difficulty than need be; paying little regard to it, as they do not use it themselves, nor will it fetch much money, yet I know some careful Dairy-women who make Skim cheese that would deceive a common observer, in appearance, being made in the same form as new Milk Cheese, well coloured, made clean, and better coated, than many ordinary Dairys of new Milk Cheese.

I have paid in a Dairy of thirty Cows upwards of sixty Pounds in a Year for skim Cheese, an object not unworthy a Dairy-man’s notice, some people are of Opinion, the most Money to be made of the skim Milk of a Dairy, is to feed Sows and Pigs with it, but this I must leave to those concerned in the business. Some Dairy-women in order to enrich their new Milk Cheeses will put the Whey Cream, into their Milk, which if quite fresh, not older than one or two Meals, will improve it. To make fine Cream Cheese, one meal of Cream extraordinary should be added to the new Milk; this will make exceeding rich Cheese, but requires great care, and should not be gathered or sunk in less than two Hours. I apprehend two Hours and a half or three Hours will be found much better in general.

The way recommended to make soft Cheese, or slip-coat Cheese, is, take six quarts of new Milk hot from the Cow; the stroakings or last Milkings are the best, being the richest Milk; put into it two spoonfuls of Runnet, let it stand three quarters of an hour, or till it is hard coming, or become full Curd; lay it into the Vat with a spoon, not breaking it at all, laying upon it a trencher, or flat-board; press it with a four pound weight, or if you find it gets too hard, then press it with a lighter weight, turning it with a dry cloth once an hour, and when got stiff, shift it every day upon fresh grass or rushes; it will be fit to cut in ten or fourteen days, or sooner, if the Weather be warm; many people use Baskets, made on purpose, instead of Vats to make it in, this is esteemed in private Families; where it is carried to market, Vats must be best, unless carried in the Baskets.

To make brick-bat Cheese; in _September_, take two gallons of new Milk, and a quart of good Cream; warm the Cream, put in two or three spoonfuls of Runnet, when it is well come, break it a little, then put it into a wooden mould in the shape of a brick, press it a little, then dry it; it is best to be half a Year old before it is used, or more, if you like it older; two hours is as little as it ought to be in earning, or to stand before it is broke after the Runnet is put in, or longer if the Whey is not inclined to be green. I am informed _Stilton_ Cheese is made in this way.

Cream Cheese is generally made in _Autumn_, the Milk being richer and fatter in _August_ and _September_; by which means it has not the warm Season to ripen it, and it is generally made thick, in order to preserve it’s mellowness. Rich Cheese will not dry so fast as lean, nor thick Cheese so soon as thin; in course it must get less hard in the Season than common thin Cheese, by which means it is more exposed to frost and chilling cold. I have often found that people who make Cream Cheeses, find more casualty attend them, than in leaner, hard Cheeses, owing to chillness, or being froze before they get hard; for when frost gets much into Cheese, it destroys every good quality, and makes it putrify, and become either insipid or ill tasted; Cream Cheese should always be kept in a warm situation, and be particularly guarded from frost, and till it has sweat well, or you will lose the advantage of its richness. The contrary method is to be used with skim Cheese, as in that, there is very little fat to sweat out, and chill Cheese is better than harsh-meated, horney-coated Cheese; let it have what warmth you can for about a fortnight after making, and then keep it cool.

In making slip-coat or soft Cheese, remember it is of quite a contrary nature to hard Cheese; and instead of getting stiff, its best quality is to have it run, or dissolve into a creamy substance; for which reason it must be made with Slip-Curd, which alone will cause it so to do; good Curd will always get harder by drying, but Slip-Curd will not even become solid, or continue a Substance; this clearly demonstrates my Sentiments on Slip-Curd as before related. It has generally been reckoned that the Milk required to make one Pound of Butter will make two Pounds of Cheese, and a larger quantity where Land is poor, the Milk being weak will not afford so much Cream.

As colouring of Cheese is now become almost an universal practice, it is highly necessary to pay a due regard thereto; Cheese, in its native state, that is well Manufactured, being put together in proper time, the Milk of proper warmth, well cleaned when young, and kept warm, till being regularly Dry, will naturally be of a yellow cast, and when a Year old will coat of a reddish or brown-red colour; the richer the Cheese, the more ’tis inclined to appear in this manner, and you seldom meet with Cheese of this native cast but what is exceeding good, being fat, well-tasted, cuts flaky, is stout, or full-tasted, high-flavour’d Cheese; and it is found that every country will produce some such Cheese, when in the hands of skilful Dairy-folks, though it has yet appeared in a small degree; you will find such Cheese among the fine Dairys in _Cheshire_, _Double-Gloucester_, or _Thick-Gloucester_, being made double the Thickness of common Cheese, _North-Wilts_, in some few Dairys, in _Derby_, _Stafford_, _Leicester_, and _Warwickshires_, but there being so small a proportion of this best Cheese, and the demand for it being larger than the supply, a substitute is thought necessary, to make good Cheese look as much like fine Cheese as possible, from which cause the art of colouring originates, and much increases.

It is remarked by dealers in Cheese as well as others, that a much greater part of the People that eat Cheese, have little Idea how it is produced; they, finding the best Cheese of the fullest, or yellow colour, naturally conclude, or are led to think, that Cheese of a pale colour, must be made with inferior (or skimmed) Milk. So much this Idea prevails, that it is well known, in _London_, a Cheese-monger will more readily sell good Cheese of a full colour than fine Cheese of a pale or inferior colour; _London_ being the principal Market, or place where the greatest quantity of the best Cheese is sold. Colouring formerly used to be performed by various Drugs, as _Turmerick_, _Sanders_, _&c._ by _Marigolds_, _Hawthorn-buds_, and the like. The principal ingredients now used is _Annatto_, and in its best kind, is much the best colouring that ever was found out. _Annatto_ is of two sorts, known by the name of _Spanish-Annatto_ and _Flag-Annatto_, the former is much the best for Cheese-colouring; being of a hard substance, and proper in kind, or texture, dispensing its colour in a regular and free manner, without being subject to much waste or decay. The _Flag-Annatto_ is brought over in a moist state, and wrapped in large broad _Flags_, which keeps it in some degree from waste; it is brought in that state chiefly for the Dyers use, and is a principal Article in Dying Orange-colour; if this sort is used in colouring Cheese before it gets hard, it is apt to appear in the Milk of an oily nature which prevents the colour taking effect in a regular manner, and is some detriment to the coming of Cheese; if it is kept till quite dry and hard, which in course of time it will be, perhaps in six, nine, or twelve Months, it is then very little inferior to _Spanish_. Of this last ingredient, mixt with others, the Druggists and Blue makers in _London_, make large quantities of what they call Cheese-colouring, often giving it the name of _Spanish-Annatto_, and there is some of it made, to very much resemble it, both in nature, and colour. But true _Spanish-Annatto_ is much preferable; I have known an ounce of it colour ten hundred weight of Cheese, of a much better colour than any other ingredient would that I ever knew; I have known it formerly sold in shops at three shillings, and four shillings _per_ ounce; the great price it then brought at market, and getting very much into use, induced the _American_ planters, at one time, to send a large quantity, which so much over-stocked the market, and lowered the price, that it was not worth their while to make it; and for that reason, very little of the genuine sort has come to _England_ since; but the same materials have come in flags, which come at a much lower price, though nearly as dear in the end, being so much heavier, and the colour not going so far as the _Spanish_, nor is the colour so exquisite or blooming as the _Spanish_; that, giving the Cheese the bloom of native yellow Butter, when made in the prime season of Spring. An ill opinion having been formed of coloured Cheese, and by many said, that it is unwholesome; in order to remove that prejudice, I will endeavour to describe its nature. It is made from the seed of a plant, of the flowering kind, much like to a balsam, the seed is so much like it, as scarce to be distinguished from it; I have sowed it, but without effect, our climate being too cold. I was sometime since enquiring of a _Jamaica_ Planter, how the _Annatto_ was prepared for use; who said when the Seed was ripe it was covered with a slimy or unctuous skin like as Linseed is, which being steeped a little while in water, became loose from the Seed and was rubbed off with a cloth or flannel, which being afterwards washed with water, was sunk to the bottom; on pouring the water off, the _Annatto_ was produced in a wet pulp, or paste, which being wrapped in flags, was ready for Dyers use.

In the _Spanish Islands_, they dry it and make it up in balls for use, and ’tis a principal ingredient in lacquering brass, _&c._ as well as colouring Cheese. I am well convinced that in its pure state, it is of a very rich fattening nature, and improves Cheese to a great degree, in quality, as well as colour; as I never met with any Cheese so exquisite, that had not been coloured with it, as I have of that which hath. The way it is used in colouring Cheese, is, take a piece of _Spanish-Annatto_, which appears in form of a stone, then take a bowl of Milk, dip the _Annatto_ a little into it, then take a pebble, or hard Rag-stone, on which rub the _Wet-Annatto_, washing off the _Annatto_ into the bowl, till it becomes of a deep colour, then put that into the tub, or pan of Milk you make Cheese of, (before you put in the Runnet or Salt) in such quantity as will render the whole of a pale Orange-colour, which will get deeper, or increase in colour after the Cheese is made; one good property _Annatto_ partakes of, it neither affects the Cheese in taste or smell. Cheese is often impregnated with Sage, by bruising the leaves and mixing the juice with Milk, which gives it a green colour, and an agreeable taste. Some use Parsley in the same manner, but that is not so much esteemed for flavour as Sage, Marigold-flowers are bruised and used the same way; these flowers are reckoned of a very fattening nature, and good flavour, and esteemed the most of any, and give the Cheese a colour nearly equal to _Annatto_. Cochineal is also used by the curious, being of a fine pink hue, and has a pretty effect, in the hand of an ingenious Dairy-woman, in making figures of Flowers, Trees, _&c._ in Cheese.

Dairy-women who are fully of opinion, that no better method can be used, than that which they apply, are not often very readily convinced, that there are better methods of making Cheese than theirs. A Factor who is a good judge of Cheese, sees a great variety in the quality of Cheese, and altho’ most People like good Cheese, yet so easily is the difference discerned by nice judges, who have frequent opportunities of remarking it, that they can perceive a real and distinguishing property, that causes a very different Idea in them, from what they hear advanced by the makers. Such a dealer is very certain, that in a large connexion of trade, he will find some very good judges, who know how to prefer excellence in quality, and are well acquainted with the perfections required in the article, and perhaps from their situation in life, are enabled to get a much higher, than a common Market-price, for a superior Article: Such a Person will have such goods, in what place soever they can be met with, and knows also that in order to procure them he must give a superior Price.

A Person who engages to supply such customers, as such there are in perhaps every country, in a larger or lesser degree, must use his own judgment, and not depend on the good opinion others may form of their goods. He will find in a very large survey, amongst Dairys, in the best country he travels, a very small proportion of excellent Dairys, or such as will supply those particular customers, and when he meets with them, is perhaps, obliged to deal them out very sparingly to the different good customers, that may wish to have some particular nice, and good Cheese for such of their Friends, who are likewise determined to have the very best they can meet with. Very good second-rate Cheese, is much more scarce than inferior, and the best, will still find customers. Every dealer would be happy to find a large supply of fine Cheese, every maker of Cheese would be glad to have his Dairy meet with that preference. Some Dairy-folks will complain that there is not proper encouragement given for making good Cheese; as Factors give for all Dairys in a neighbourhood, nearly the same Price, though some of these Dairys are not so good as others, by some shillings _per_ hundred: But then let these people remember, that ’tis themselves only that sit in judgment in this case. Bring the makers of two Dairys together, and you will hear each of them give the preference to their own. The Factor must clear himself of this charge! For ’tis of dangerous consequence, for a Factor to complain of any fault in the Cheese to the maker, or not give it sufficient praise.--Perhaps he will say to the Person, whose Dairy may appear the neatest, and have had most care taken of it, and in the Eye of most people, had the preference, your Cheese is extremely neat and good, is fat and mild, and will please many of our best customers exceedingly, will even stand in competition with _Gloucester_ and _Wiltshire_ Cheese, which is always neat, well-handled, and mostly esteemed by genteel People, your neighbour’s Cheese is not so mild or beautiful, but has many good qualities, ’tis full flavoured, stout Cheese, such as is most in demand, is bought by people who do not so much mind the beauty of it, as being profitable Cheese to buy, that will spend well, or according to the common Phrase, will eat Bread well, and though there may be a few strong Cheeses amongst them, there are many customers wish to have them so. If you go into a Fair, you will find some people looking for handsome mild Cheese, but more buyers of stout, good spending Cheese, of which they must be better judges, what suits their sale, than the makers.--Certainly there are in most Countries, some few Dairys that have all the good qualities; beautiful, fat, fine flavoured, _&c._ and these generally find their way to the best market. There is one best way of doing every thing, and ’tis what in every way of life is a cause of strife; a maxim I was taught in my youth, was, never strive to be second best, some one must prevail, and they that do must strive for it, the best way of doing a thing is as easy, when known, as the second best. This emulation is what every dealer in Cheese would wish to discover in the breast, and proceedings, of the Different Dairy-folks in his walk, that he might be enabled to go to Market, as one, who could lead and command both the opinion and interest of the best customers: Such goods as would give that preference to him, would of course give the command in price to those who supplied him; for though the Cheese they now make, may at present support their own good opinion, yet, when they come to find, that they have improved in so great a degree, as to enable them to see excellence, where they only saw usefulness, and blooming beauty, where only mediocrity appeared; Ambition and Interest, their bosom friends, will point out a new road to them, in which they will travel, not only as swift and prosperous, as their rival neighbours, but will not leave them in an easy and composed state, till they have out gone them. In this happy track I confess I should be glad to meet many of my old friends and neighbours, in whose service I have laboured many a long day; and so far as my abilities will support me, should be glad to be their conductor; but whether in my present pursuit, I may be so happy as to shew them the right road, is very uncertain. If by opening their Ideas afresh, shewing them where Improvements may be looked for, and giving them some convincing circumstances, where such truths appear, they may be led to look farther to find better, I shall hope they are in a fair way to prevail. Some few circumstances they perhaps may expect, to convince, and some fresh out-lines to extend the Ideas I have set on float. I will give you in a few instances, the way I came first to be moved in this pursuit.

The first that alarmed my Ideas, concerning the cause of sweet, unsettled and ill-flavoured Cheese was, I was once going by a house, I knew was notorious for as bad a Dairy as I ever met with, the Dairy-woman saw me, and said, won’t you call and look at my Cheese, I am sure ’tis as good as my neighbour T--s, which you have been buying, I replied I fear not; come in then and see, she said; as soon as I came into the Dairy-chamber, I saw, and told her it would not suit me; why not, she replied, I am sure ’tis every drop New-Milk, and nobody can take more pains with it, nor work harder at it than I do. On looking to the farther side of the room, I perceived a Cheese that was very blooming in appearance, handsome in shape, well-coated, firm, fat, and much larger than the rest. I said, pray how came that Cheese there--I should be glad to know the History of it; why truly said she ’tis a strange one. I replied if you will make such Cheese as that, it would be worth five shillings, or even ten shillings a hundred weight, more than the rest; says she, one night when I had rendled my Milk, a person came running to me, and said, neighbour T-- is groaning and you must come immediately; I said to a raw wench I had to help me, now be sure you don’t touch this Cheese till I come back, I will be sure to come to you when I see how neighbour T-- is; but it happened she was worse than I expected, and I could not leave her till after midnight. I said, my Cheese will be spoiled, but the poor Woman shall not be lost for a Cheese; when I came home I found it not so bad as I expected, put it into the Vat in a hurry, saying, it may possibly make a Cheese that will do for ourselves, but I little thought it would ever be a saleable Cheese;--well now--said I, and is not this Cheese a proper lesson to you? don’t you thereby plainly see that you have made the rest too quick--why yes--said she, it might, if I had thought at all--but I declare, I never once thought about it--Profound stupidity! thought I to myself, and left her--however, this plainly convinced me that Cheese in general was made too much in a hurry, and often when I came to a Dairy where the same complaint prevailed, I told them this story, and it frequently had the good effect, to produce good Cheese in the lieu of bad, by giving more time to the Milk in earning.

To corroborate with this story also, my own opinion, that good Cheese may be made by a skilful Dairy-woman in any place, or on any land; there now lives in the same farm, where this old woman did, a person who makes, without exception, as good a Dairy of Cheese, in every point, as I ever met with in any country; I have had this Dairy, at a Fair at a distance for many years, and two or three people were generally at strife to have it, and it commonly happen’d that it was made a point of by Buyers, that if I would let them have that Dairy, they would buy their whole quantity of me, so that it generally was the cause of my selling three or four other Dairys along with it. Next, to shew that there are many Dairy-women do not make so much Cheese from the same Milk, or near it, as they might, or ought to do; on the evening of a very hot day, I went through a Farm-yard, and was much pleased to see as fine a Dairy of twenty Cows as I had seen for a long time, on going into the Dairy-chamber, to my great surprize, I found a poor parcel of very lean, hungry looked, ill shaped, bad tasted, hove, and Whey-spring Cheese,--I said to the Dairy-woman, certainly this is not all the Cheese you have made from the fine Dairy of Cattle I saw in your yard! It really is, said she, except the few that are not come out of the Dairy. I have been so ill for the last two or three months, I could not possibly be amongst it, and I find my maids know very little of the matter. It is a poor parcel, and I am ashamed to see it; I replied your servant takes a wrong method in making Cheese; I will engage to tell you how you shall make two Cheeses where you now make one, or one Cheese as large again; that difference, struck her much; if you will she said, I will try it, and this very evening--Then, said I,--as the weather is hot, take three or four quarts of fresh spring Water, or in such quantity till you find your Milk is what you may properly call Milk-warm, then, put two or three handfuls of Salt into it,--after that put your Runnet into it, and let it stand an hour and half before you stir it, if ’tis two hours it will be better, and you will be sure to have more Cheese, in that time, the Curd will incline to sink easily to the bottom of your Tub, then collect and gather your Curd,--let it stand one quarter of a hour to settle, then Vat it, and put it into your Press; let it stand in the Press two or three meals, turning it in the Press once between the first meals, and at each meal after--she followed my advice precisely, the Milk being at rest before I left the house. Some time after, I enquired of her how my advice succeeded; she said quite well, and I am convinced we had not made half the Cheese we ought to have done. But observed, their Pigs had been found to thrive in a surprizing manner, and well they might, after having had more than half the produce of the Dairy.

I once met with a young Dairy-woman at a Fair; who had a lot of Cheese unsold, after almost every Dairy in the Yard it stood in was disposed of; she asked me to buy her Cheese, having bought some adjoining Dairys; I objected, saying I do not like it, she seemed rather surpriz’d, saying, I am sure ’tis made of as good Milk and as well took care of as any of my neighbours that you have bought, I told her the method she took in making the Cheese was wrong, she seemed quite desirous to improve it if she knew how. I desired her to follow the method described above, exactly, which she promised to do, but observed it was so contrary to what she had ever heard of, she should be surprized if it made good Cheese. I said the Cheese you have here is very bad, the way to make good Cheese must be contrary to that in which this was made, for the like reason as when a person is in a burning fever, cooling medicines are applied to restore him; when very chill, a warming remedy will have effect--she wish’d to know what were the faults of her Cheese; I told her it was very loose, sweet, or ill-tasted; that rather displeased her, and she seemed to mistrust my knowing any thing of the matter--saying--it is not sweet--how can you possibly know that never tasted it, I told her Cheese of that countenance always was sweet. I put my taster into one and gave it her to taste, she acknowledged it was very rank, but wondered how I could know it was so--I perceived the Cheese of an unsettled nature, that I had not a doubt the Milk had been carried in Churns or Barrels, I said I imagine your Dairy-ground is some distance from your House, do you milk your Cows in the field or drive them home, she said sometimes the latter, but generally the former, and brought the Milk home on Horse-back. I told her how difficult it was to make good Cheese of Milk carried in that way; she said I find you know where I live, I replied I don’t know so much as the County you live in, she seemed quite astonish’d; I saw a husky dry coated Cheese on the top of one of the heaps, that had dry cracks in it; I said, I suppose you remember how that Cheese was made; she answered in the affirmative, when you made that Cheese, I said, you had reserved some Curd from the meal before, and put into the other Curd, next meal, which having been rendled too hot would not join together, as I will shew you by the different Curds in the Cheese, which I did in my taster, the white looking Curd being the old Curd which caused the cracks, and the yellow the New-Milk, (and you may always observe a mixture of that kind where Curd is kept from the last meal, appearing marbled and cutting chiselly)--She acknowledged that Cheese was made in the manner I described, seemed very thankful for my advice, and pursued it very nearly the next Summer, when she produced at the same Fair the following Year a Dairy of Cheese with very few faults; I pointed them out to her, told her how to remedy them, as in the rules before described; she thanked me, and the next Year with great pleasure shewed me an exceeding good parcel of Cheese.--A near relation of mine, who kept a Butter Dairy, was desirous of making Cheese, and said to me, I am entirely ignorant how to proceed, but if you will point out the right method, I will exactly follow it, I gave her the same direction as to the former Dairy-woman, she followed it, and I am certain no one can make nicer, or fatter well tasted Cheese than she did, being one Day saying how good her Cheese proved, observed she had one Cheese, then cut, that was jointed and blue-pared, and wish’d to know the cause of it; I examined it, and found it must be caused by slip-curd; she said she never altered, or shortened the Time given for the coming of the Milk after it was rendled; on ruminating the cause, I said, do you put your bowl in the Tub when the Runnet is in? She replied always; do you ever find any difference in the Curd under the Bowl from the rest, on removing the Bowl?--Sometimes I perceive the Curd under the Bowl of a smooth slippery nature, and when I have tried to get it solid, I never could, it always slipt through my fingers, and some of it would swim in the Whey when the other was solid, which I always took care to break as small as flour, among the other Curd--I said is the Bowl being there of any use? She did not know that it was; she took it away and had no jointed Cheese after, in her Dairy; which plainly convinced me that the Air under the Bowl prevented the Curd from coming in the same Time as the rest, and that the small quantity of slip-curd under it, was the sole cause of the joints that appeared, for there was not an Eye in the Cheese, owing to its being broke so small, which if any of the slip-curd had been left in bits of any size, would have caused Eyes larger or smaller in the Cheese, but now it dissolved in the form, and manner before described, in jointed Cheese; it is a general practice with Dairy-women to put the Bowl in the Milk when the Runnet is put in, and leave it in till the Cheese is come; I have frequently asked the reason for it, and the general answer was, that by taking the Bowl out, they might know when the Cheese was come; which will be much better known by putting the Bowl the contrary way, or the hollow part upwards instead of being downwards, for there is often slip-curd collects under the Bowl when put downwards and that makes your Cheese Whey spring, or Eyey, and for that reason the Bowl had much better not be put in at all, especially in Cheese that is sunk, and not broke, as then the slip-curd is sure to cause Whey springs.--Another relation, being pleased with her Sister succeeding so well, followed exactly the same method, having wrote down every particular, and her Cheese was remarkably fine and good. These, and such like instances convince me that good Cheese may be made by rule, or regular method, on any Land, providing nothing very singular prevents, as from noxious weeds, plants, &c. or distempered Cattle. It is often observed poor Land makes the best Cheese; to those who are fond of mild Cheese, it very often does, the Milk being weaker or thinner, is sooner collected into Curd, than rich Milk, by which means it is often completely fit to sink or gather sooner, and has many chances of making good Cheese by that means, or in the same time allowed, than from better Milk, which will not become good Curd in the same time that is given for the weaker Milk; for if the Curd is not solid and good, no art can make good Cheese of it. But, if rich pasture, good feeding Land, being old Turf, has proper time given it to make good Curd, and the Cheese is well taken care of after, I always find the richer Grass makes the best Cheese and more of it. To confirm my Opinion, that breaking Cheese in the Curd is a needless and exceeding wasteful method; being lately at a friend’s house who keeps a few Cows only to make Butter and Cheese for their own use, and that of a few friends, the Gentlewoman said to me, I could wish to know the best method of making fine Cheese, (having met with such at my relations, before mentioned) and desired my directions; and said their Cheese was apt to be a good while in coming when in the Tub, their pasture being rich old Turf. I told them to give it full two hours, recommended putting salt in the Milk as before prescribed, which was done, and to sink the Curd instead of breaking it; after having a long knife made from a lath, cut the Curd from top to bottom, crossing it many times, by which means the Whey separates readily, then get a sieve and there with you will press down the Curd with great ease. Having settled the Curd well, and let it stand a quarter of an hour to drain, having laded all the Whey out, it became quite solid--then the Dairy-maid cut it in slices and work’d it into the Vat, without ever breaking the Curd at all; with very little trouble, and in a short time she made a complete handsome Cheese; full one third part larger than any they had before produced from the same Cows, and continued so to do in succeeding days, the Whey being quite green, which they could never bring it to be, when broke and gathered in the Tub; and broke in the Vat afterward, which method certainly wastes a great deal of Cheese and much impoverishes it by squeezing the fat out in breaking.