In from fifteen to twenty minutes after hooping curd turn your
attention to them again. If the old style hoops are used you will
be obliged to bandage them by hand; if not, to pull up the bandage
cloth. As the former way is nearly obsolete, we will simply discuss
the _modus operandi_ of the latter.
Set a pailful of clean warm water near you, and as you remove the cap
cloths rinse them vigorously in this, to wash out all sour whey. Pull
the margin of the bandage up and turn it neatly over the edge of the
cheese; then, wringing the cap slightly, to remove only the surplus
water, spread it over the surface, smoothing out all wrinkles. Apply,
now, all the power that you have, that is, reasonable power. You do
not want to press so hard that the butter will be crushed out of the
cheese structure, but you want to press so as to expel all whey and
permanently solidify the cheese. I examined 1888 made cheese this
spring that were of fine quality but insufficiently pressed. The
seams and cracks were mouldy and damp with whey, which damaged an
otherwise fancy product 50 per cent.