After the cheese designed for shipment are selected, examine every
one and look to it that there are no surface shortcomings; if there
are, the discrepancy must be remedied. Aim to have the cheese go into
the package neat and attractive in appearance. A firm, elastic rind,
well oiled, and a spotless bandage cloth, if forming the cuticle
of a squarely-built, well-shaped cheese, is all in the line of the
appearance that is desired by dealers and retailers. In weighing the
cheese, give good up weight, taking no account of anything less than
a pound. Use the best quality of scale boards and boxes obtainable,
and have the latter fit the cheese snugly. After a cheese is weighed,
place a scale board on the top end and shove a box onto it. Flop box
and cheese over and, as the latter settles into the case, mark the
weight on the side of the box. If the box is too high, shave the rim
down to the cheese surface and place on a scale board and then cover.
It is imperative that the covers fit tightly and snugly, and that
any superfluous rim on the box be shaved off. No cheese is properly
prepared for transportation unless it is so tight in the box that it
cannot shift and knock about. Brand the boxes in a neat, workman-like
manner, having the lettering show plainly and distinctly. Then your
cheese are ready for the freight car or the vessel’s hold.
Cheese are often slightly mouldy on their bandaged sides when cured
in damp, warm weather. To obviate this, when boxing, rub the sides
thoroughly with a dry, soft cloth and do not box until just before
shipping. No cheese should be placed in boxes in hot weather until a
few hours before transportation. Standing for several days in tight
packages and exposed to a high temperature, will not only try the
quality of cheese but will positively injure the flavor of the very
best. If they could all go to their destination in refrigerator cars,
this evil would be greatly ameliorated. With the facilities at hand,
however, aim to place them on the market in as neat a shape as they
rested on your curing room shelves.