J. Twamley

“ It is a very common way with many Dairy-women to allow the Milk to stand an Hour, in earning, or after the Runnet is put in, before it is gather’d, or sunk; many I fear content themselves with thinking it sufficiently come in less time, But here lies the greatest mischief in Cheese-making; the Milk is very often disturbed before its proper time, and sometimes when the whole is in a state of Slip-Curd, or Slippery Curd, which is a state all Curd is in, before it becomes solid Curd, or Curd, fit to make Cheese with. ”

“ The difference is so great between a very good Dairy-woman, an inferior one, and a very bad one, as would surprise, even a judicious observer, and the following observations, which flow from what have happened in my own walks, will be apt to strike conviction on the minds of many, who have never applied their thoughts to the Theory of Dairying. ”

“ People are much divided in opinion, whether [Pg 53] ’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. ”

“ We find many Farmers very industrious to improve their breed of Cattle, and set much store on blood and fashion. The Dairy-man’s chief concern should be to have Cows with good Bags, or Udders; that yield a quantity of Milk; and it is well known, by persons who keep but one or [Pg 102] two Cows, that there is a material difference in the richness of Milk in Cows, and that when they set up the Milk of different Cows, they find, one shall yield a much larger quantity of Cream than another; and many are known not only to yield more Milk, but even much better than the Cow which gives less ”

“ Milk is a support to our Infancy and greatly contributes both to our comfort and support through Life, not only supplying our present wants, by that salubrious aliment, but our future wants, not only at [Pg 18] home, but abroad; by the Cheese and Butter produced from it, it supplies us, even with many luxuries in our taste, is a great support to weakly constitutions by its Veal, as well as a great support in the Article of Provisions, afforded when alive; when Dead, is to us the grand stamina of our Food, Beef, being the most nourishing and agreeable repast ”

“ I have always thought some knowledge in the use of Plants, a very agreeable amusement, and it would certainly have been much more my study, had I thought of ever having such an opportunity of making it useful. ”

“ 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. ”

“ That such Land, being rocky, or very shallow hungry soil that will scarce bear any other sorts of Grass does produce great crops of Saintfoin, I have many times observed in different Counties; but as I meet with various Authors who say, that notwithstanding that advantage there is in it, preferable to any other Grass, yet it always thrives best in a rich good soil, which makes me imagine it has seldom had a fair trial, and if the advantage as a Dairy Grass is so great, it is highly worth the Dairy-man’s notice. ”

“ The general way that the art of Dairying has been carried on for Ages, has been progressive, or traditional, being taught by Mother to Daughter, from common and continual experience; naturally adopting from time to time, the methods that appear’d best from such as have happened to come within their own knowledge; without ever calling in the assistance of either Philosophy, by which they might learn the different qualities, and effect of materials they use, or knowledge, how to apply them in a Physical, or Practical manner. ”

“ 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 ”

“ 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. ”

“ Milk being a vegetable juice, or that yields a nourishment partly vegetable and partly animalized, partaking more or less, of the good or bad qualities of Plants on which the Cow feeds—Milk, in its produce of Cream, Butter, Cheese and many of our luxuries, is a constituent part of our daily food, through every stage of Life, consequently great care ought to be taken, with respect to the food of Animals, who furnish us with so great, and necessary a part of our sustenance ”

“ On a judicious observation you will find, that Milk is generally found even at different Seasons, to be of a regular and equal stamina, or quality, and in the same manner affected by different fluxings; by Salts, Liquids, Spirits, &c. at all times; the business of Cheese making, is a regular and constant proceeding, practised perpetually, every Day, time immemorial; and it seems strange, that when the ingredients you employ are so few, and their nature also so exceeding regular, and certain, that there can be much difficulty, in producing the Article of Cheese pure, and compleat ”

“ I have some years been trying to find out the reason why Cheese frequently looks of a grey dirty appearance, and which is always attended with a strong disagreeable taste, and from enquiries and observations I have made, I am clearly convinced it is owing to the Runnet being kept too long, and not being sweet when put into the Milk. It is often the case in small Dairys [Pg 91] in order to make the Cheese of a tolerable full size, to make it but once a day, and in hot Weather it is almost impossible to prevent one meal being sour, which must inevitably spoil the Cheese. ”

“ A very material circumstance to be attended to in Cheese-making, is the time allow’d for the Cheese coming, or from the time allow’d for the Runnet to take effect, or the time when the Milk is at rest, called earning time.4 Which should on no account be less than an hour and half; all that is stirred, gather’d, or sunk, in less time is liable to danger. ”

“ Some good Dairy-women, I think often err in the manner of breaking their Curd; tho’ they make good Cheese, they might make better and more of it, if they did not squeeze out so much of the fat in breaking; the Whey that first runs from the Curd is always the thinnest, and was that thin part first separated, before the Curd was much broke, it would certainly leave the Cream in the Cheese, which would but little of it squeeze out in putting in the Vat, but when it is broke so very small amongst the Whey the rich parts are squeezed amongst the thin Whey and carried away with it. ”

“ As the roots strike deep in our chalky soil, this plant is not liable to be so much injured by drought as other Grasses whose fibres shoot horizontally and lie near the surface, the quantity of Hay produced is greater, and better in quality than any other, but there is one advantage attends this Grass, which renders it superior to any, and that arises from feeding it with Milch Cows, the prodigious increase of Milk which it makes is astonishing, being near double that produced by any other food. The Milk is also better and yields more Cream than any other ”

“ I dare say any Person who has eat Cheese in the finest Dairys in Cheshire, and also in a Tavern in London, when the same sort of Cheese has undergone the heat of a Ship, and afterwards been laid in a Wine-cellar to cool gradually, and make it Mellow, (which is allowed to be the best situation for finishing Cheese, it not being exposed to harsh Winds, or chilling Air,) such Person must allow the Warmth it has received, improves the flavor and richness of the Cheese to a superlative degree. ”

“ Dairys are subject to damage by noxious, or poisonous plants, roots, or trees: Where Cows are fed in pastures much addicted to wild-garlick, or cow-garlick, ramsons, or wild chives, I have often perceived the rank taste of the Herb in the Cheese. Many people are at a fault to know the cause of bitter Cheese; which I have often observed is most prevalent from poor, or moderate light Land, and have frequently taken notice that where Cheese is bitter, their pasture is much addicted to black plantain, ribbed Grass, or cock plant, may weed, dandelion, especially the rough leaved sort ”

“ But in making good Butter, great care must be taken to prevent the Cream’s being sour, or your Butter will be ill flavoured, and will keep good but a very little time—That lead Pans are preferred to every thing, in throwing up, or rising the Cream from Milk. Not to let the Milk stand too long before it is skimmed, especially in hot weather.—If it must stand two meals, it had better be skimmed twice, than to let it stand the whole time for one skimming, as the Milk often turns sour before the expiration of two meals ”

“ The great number of inferior Dairys there are, in comparison to the few, that are excellent in their kind, or even what are called good Dairys; every person who is much concerned in the Cheese Trade, is well convinced of; and ’tis evident to a nice observer of the different, yea, very different qualities of Cheese produc’d in different Dairys, or even in the same Dairys, when either the Dairy-maid is [Pg 8] changed, or the usual method of Cheese-making, by the Mistress or manager of each Dairy, is not strictly adhered to. ”

“ 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 ”