than common Grass, requires full time in bringing the Cheese; in its
first operation, it should not be exposed to too much heat, immediately
after it is made, as the greater the quantity of Air that remains in
the Cheese, the more effect heat will have upon it, by causing it to
heave, or split when the Air becomes rarified. Cheese made from Clover
is rather more difficult to make, to even the best of Dairy-women, but
I have seen very good sound Dairys of stout, full flavour’d Cheese
made from Clover, especially when a good deal of time is allowed to
bring the Cheese, and care is taken not to let it lye too hot, after
it begins to get dry. It is always hurtful to Cheese to lye too near
tiles in hot weather. 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; centaury--arsmart
or lakeweed, tansey, wormwood, meadow sweet, &c.--I take yarrow to
be an ill favoured Plant for Cheese, where it prevails much in Land,
being of a very faint nature, tho’ Sheep are said to be very fond of
it,--Hemlock--hen-bane--nightshade, cow-bane, cow-weed, water-wort,
kex, drop-wort, yew-tree, box, and most other ever-greens certainly
are noxious and very hurtful.[5] I have often observed in riding
thro’ Dairy-farms, how little attention is paid to pasturage, Farmers
frequently suffering many sorts of known noxious Plants or Weeds to
flourish in them, without any concern to extirpate or cast them out, or
of having the least thought of encouraging, or propogating such as are
salutary or cheering to Cattle; I have often heard the remark made by
Farmers that there is an instinct in Cattle that directs them to avoid
noxious Plants, and even directs nature to apply many as remedies in
various complaints; we often read of wild Beasts, Serpents, _&c._ that
are governed by such instinct.--But it often happens that in very dry
seasons, pastures are so very short that Cattle are obliged to eat any
thing that is green to keep them alive, and ’tis well known they often
do clear up every thing before them, and many sorts of Plants that
they will not touch at other times; I have often observed that in such
seasons, Cattle are very much subject to violent disorders; I have
known many die, without the owners, or cow-leech being at all able to
account for the cause; and frequently taken notice that Cattle dying
so suddenly are much subject to swell greatly, and often in the same
Dairy that many have died apparently from the same cause, and that such
complaints are most prevalent in the Months of _July_ and _August_,
when poisonous Plants are in full vigour; I remember one Person who
had lost several Cows, who was a judicious person in Farming affairs,
observe, that undigested Plants were found in their Stomachs, or Maws
when opened, although they had not eat any vegetable food for two or
three days, which made him suspect they were poisonous, and ’tis very
natural to form such an Idea.
There is no branch in Husbandry seems of more importance, or gives
a larger field for improvement than the conducting and managing of
Dairy-Farms; as a great share of the health, as well as the lives of
the human species, are in a considerable degree dependent, on the
health and good condition of Milch Cows. 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; 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. Such as have fallen under my knowledge I have here
endeavoured to describe, in which I acknowledge to have received much
help from a late ingenious publication of DR. WITHERING on _Botany_,
(being the first I ever met with in English after the Linnæan System,)
which I think a work of great merit. As the Dairy-man, or Farmer,
becomes more informed of the nature of noxious Plants, he will
surely think it worth his while to try to get rid of them, by rooting
them out; and as it is well known that Cows are very much subject to
scowring, and flatulent or windy disorders, it may be very well worth
his while to sow or plant in his pastures and hedges, such herbs in
proper quantities as are found to be the best remedies for these and
such other complaints which Cattle are most incident to. Among many
that might be mentioned the following herbs are very salutary, (and if
there is such an instinct in Cattle as some suppose, they will know
how to cull the best,) lovage, agrimony, chervil, carraway, cummin,
mint, bazil, hyssop, rue, angelica, pepper-mint, penny-royal, thyme,
marjoram, _&c._ I should think a very proper time to sow, or plant
them, would be when you set, or plant hedges, or when plashed, or the
banks fresh made up, or in pastures where Ant-hills are dug up and
carried away, to sow them in the places they are dug from; It must
certainly be an improvement of the first kind, to clear a Farm of all
sorts of noxious and poisonous Plants and Weeds, and stocking them
with such as are healthful salutary and medicinal.--Trefoil & white
Clover are esteemed exceeding good Grasses for producing Milk. But the
highest encomium is given to Saintfoin Grass, as being superior to any
other.--An _Essex_ Farmer who is a correspondent in the _Bath_ Society
for promoting Agriculture, thus describes 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 give you
this information from my own observation, confirmed by long experience,
and if Farmers would make trial they would find their account in it far
more than they expect.”
It is a pretty general opinion, that Saintfoin thrives only on
up-lands, that lie near a rock, lime-stone, chalk or strong gravel; the
reason given is, the roots strike so deep in the Earth, that unless it
meets a check it seldom flourishes. 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.
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 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; this is an useful remark to a Dairy-man as the
quantity of rich Milk is the support of his undertaking, and must in
the end pay more than the fine form of Cattle, which may be of more
consequence to the feeding Grazier; and great care should be taken that
the Cows are Milked clean, as many good Cows are spoiled by suffering
Milk to remain in the Udder; which will cause the Cow daily to give
less and less, till at length she will become dry before the proper
time, and will be very apt to give but little Milk the next season. It
is observed in Fairs, that the people from _Wiltshire_ and other Dairy
Counties, who buy Cows, always make a large bag in a Milking Cow, their
first object, and those that buy Cattle for feeding pay very little
regard to it, prefering a good carcase; as Dairy-men are generally
the breeders of Calves, it should be their first object, to breed from
Cows, which produce the best and largest quantity of Milk, and supply
their own Dairy with that breed. I have often heard Dairy-men remark,
that Cows are apt to give more Milk on the land they are bred upon,
than others who come from a distant soil. I would always recommend to
every Dairy-man, wherever it is in his power, to convey running streams
into his Dairy-ground,--to encourage his Cows to frequent scowers in
Brooks, or running Streams; Cows certainly like clear Water best, and
it always produces most Milk; and keeping them cool, the Milk is much
easier made into Cheese, or Butter. When Cheese goes from the Press,
let it be kept in as warm a state as you can, till it has had a sweat,
or is got pretty regularly dry, and stiffish: It is warmth that makes
Cheese ripe, improves the colour, and causes Cheese to cut flakey, the
surest sign of excellent quality; which is very clear to those who know
the great difference there is in Cheese that has gone by Sea in the
Summer-time to _London_, or any distant Port on our Coast, having been
thoroughly heated on Ship-board, by the heat of the Season, and such
large quantities being in the same apartment. 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. I would
recommend, where it can be avoided, that hard Cheese is not kept in
the same Room with the soft, as a dampness that arises from the new
moist Cheese, is a detriment to the improving state the hard Cheese
is getting into, making it very apt to chill, and get thick-coated,
and often spotted; in some measure there is an analogy with the fine
flavoured Fruit, this being the Season that Cheese may be supposed to
come to its flavor, and the foul damp that falls from the exhalation
of the soft Cheese greatly retards it, and being deprived of a chearing
Warmth, will never become excellent. Cheese never tastes agreeably
till it has had a sweat, such as is always kept in a cold state eats
chill, flat-tasted and insipid; a south aspect, or a Room over a
Kitchen-fire is much best, till Cheese is got tollerably hard and had
a sweat; a cool shady Room, or even a Plaster-floor is best after it
has had a sweat, till such Time as the Weather gets too cool. Cheese
very seldom heaves or gets puffy after it has had a sweat and got cool
again; the fat that melts with heat, closes the pores of Cheese made
open by harsh Air, and keeps it mellow afterwards. The sweat of Cheese
should not be rubbed off, or scraped off, unless it has sweat to a
violent degree, as it keeps the Cheese mellow and always improves the
flavour. To have every excellence it must have every advantage.--In
_Wilts_, _Gloucestershire_, and some part of _Warwickshire_, most
people wash their Cheese, putting it in a little warm Water or Whey
to soften the swarthy-coat occasioned by the Cheese-cloth, or not
being rubbed when it begins to get coated; then they rub it off with a
Brush, and afterward lay it to dry, or sweat before it is laid in the
cooler apartment; many prefer rubbing it with a hair-cloth, beginning
with it when Cheese is fit to handle, and not wash it. If Cheese is
designed for going by Sea, or for speedy consumption, I think washing
is preferable, care being taken not to send it off too soft, as that
exposes it to crack, then the Fly takes it, and Maggots breeding in
it damages your Cheese. When Cheese is designed to be kept long in
the Dairy, if kept well cleaned, I prefer the other method, as the
coat preserves it, keeps it mellow and improves the Flavor. Frost is
very detrimental to Cheese if permitted to get into it, especially,
soft young Cheese; care should be taken to keep the Windows close in
hard frosty Weather; many will cover it with (and even lay it in)
Peas-straw in severe Seasons. I have known all the good qualities of
Cheese annihilated or taken away, by being Frost-bitten when Young;
it is apt to turn black as if made with sooty Milk, and not have the
least taste of Salt, or any relish remain. It is a very common method
to scald Cheese, either in the Curd, or in the Cheese; the former I
quite disapprove, the design being only to settle the Curd which has
not had Time given it to sink solid in the Tub, which if done, will
want no scalding; boiling Water, or boiling Whey poured upon it will
set the Curd in some degree, and fix it hard, but then it always leaves
it Tough and Horny-coated, if it is scalded to any great degree; more
time taken in bringing the Curd, and having the Milk of a proper
warmth, will render this whole proceeding quite needless. People are
only seeking a remedy for a fault which they had no sort of occasion to
have been troubled with. Scalding Cheese after it has been in the Press
is of some advantage to Cheese that is to go by Sea, that, only being
to set the coat and toughen it, is not so much exposed to bruising, and
the heat of the Ship recovers it again to its proper state by removing
that toughness which scalding gave it; but Cheese for Country Trade,
is hurt by scalding, making it Tough and Horny-coated. If Cheese gets
too hard that has been scalded, the best way to recover it, is to lay
it in a heap, four, five, or six Cheeses high, in a cool room, stirring
and removing every Cheese once in two or three Days, till it is got
mellow. In many Counties, as _Lincoln_, _Huntington_, _Bedford_, _&c._
People take very great pains to make bad Cheese, if a good Dairy-woman
happens to come amongst them that sells Cheese for a much greater Price
than they can, yet they will follow their own method; perhaps, some few
of them at least, when they come to see Dairying plainly delineated,
may have some inclination to alter their Plan, unless they prefer bad
Cheese to good.
Many may wish to know what is a proper Size for Cheese Vats for Trade.
For Cheese of the _Gloucester_ make, we reckon that Vats--15 Inches
Wide by 2¼ Inches Deep to make Cheese, Eleven to the Hundred Weight.
15½ Inches by 2½ to make Tens.
16 Inches by 2½ to make Nines.
16½ Inches by 2½ to make Eights.
16½ Inches by 2¾ to make Sevens, &c.
Since writing the account of the Maw-skin, I have heard of a Plant
called the Runnet-Plant; it is the first Time I ever heard the Name
of it or the least hint concerning it. I am informed the _Jews_ make
all their Cheese with it; their Law not permitting them to mingle Meat
with Milk, which term they apply to making Cheese with Maw-skin, I have
frequently seen _Jew_ Cheese, but never saw any that I thought good
or tollerably so, makes me imagine it is the necessity of principle
only, that promotes its Use, but as I am an entire Stranger to the
process, shall be greatly obliged to any one who will favour me with
any particulars concerning it, with its qualities and manner of Use.[6]
I am favour’d with a Letter from a Friend whose veracity I can depend
on, acquainting me of another species of Runnet-plant, imagining my
former information was not right, and that the Dairy-plant was of a
different kind to that I had described--sending at the same time some
plants, for my inspection--called spear-grass, and also the method
of using it, as practised by a very good Dairy-woman in the County
of _Derby_ for many Years, whose Dairy was in the highest credit in
the neighbourhood, where she lived, hoping the Public might receive
benefit by the publication of it, the receipt is as follows.--Take
Spear-grass, and as much cold water as will cover the Grass, boil it
over a slow Fire for an hour, put to it salt in proportion, of half a
peck to six gallons of Liquor, then cover it up till cold, then strain
it and add three Maw-skins to each gallon, let it stand nine or ten
days, then bottle it, use a table spoonful for a Cheese of fifteen or
sixteen pounds; but more or less may be used at discretion. From this
receipt a very useful remark may be made: I have frequently enquired of
Dairy-women who made their Runnet for keeping, what quantity of Skin
they us’d, and have generally understood it to be about two Skins to
a gallon of Water, but I have always thought that must be too little,
here we find three Skins is recommended, even added to the decoction
of Spear-grass, which must certainly be a powerful help to the Runnet;
’tis observ’d also in the receipt, that a table spoon-full may be used
for a Cheese of fifteen or sixteen pounds, which I imagine must be as
much as twelve or fourteen Cows Milk; if even two or three spoon-fulls
will do for that quantity of Milk it must be of a very powerful
fermenting quality, and leads me to imagine that Runnet in general, is
certainly made too weak; and that if by the above method, or by the
addition of spices as recommended by _Mr. Hazard_, a much stronger
Runnet is made; it must greatly quicken the coagulation and be a means
of bringing the Cheese properly, in shorter time than that in present
use, and might probably be sufficient if the Milk stand an hour, or at
most an hour and half, which would fully reconcile my plan of sinking
Cheese to those who may think the only difficulty attending it, is
requiring too much time.
Spear-grass is a very common plant, grows chiefly on moist land, or
by pit sides, often in lanes, it is an upright stem, inclin’d to a
redish brown, mixt with green, the leaves are spear-shaped growing up
the stalk, a bright yellow flower with five petals, of the crow foot
form, blossoms in _May_ and _June_; this is doubtless a good plant for
improving the Runnet, it being of a hot nature, and having been used
so many Years with good success is a great recommendation--but this
cannot be the plant before described to me, and which I have found
in different Authors, called yellow ladies bed-straw, goose-grass or
Cheese Renning, nor does the Runnet made with it answer to the ends
proposed in making _Jew_ Cheese.
I should imagine the best time to collect the Spear-grass for making
Runnet, must be when it is in full Flower, which may be very apt to
help the colour as well as give firmness to the Cheese. I have not a
doubt but Runnet made with this plant, in the manner above described,
will be a considerable improvement in Cheese-making, and should be glad
to hear of its having a fair trial, it appears to me to be the most
likely thing to correct the mischief caused by Slip-curd.
Having now gone through the design of the work, and laid down such
observations on the principal concerns of Dairying, so far as relates
to Cheese-making, as occur to my remembrance, I take my leave of it,
hoping in general it will be found useful and expedient, and before
I conclude, earnestly recommend it to such Dairy-women who find any
difficulty in their proceedings in the business of Cheese-making, or
wish to improve their make of Cheese, that they will, well weigh every
part of the subject, and make trial of the whole process, as stated in
its different parts. As I am well convinced, by repeated trials that
if the plan I have laid down is observed with care, it will not fail
to make good Cheese. And though it may be objected by many, the length
of time of the Milk standing for Curd, yet so complete will the state
of the Curd be, that you will often times more than save that time in
crushing, as it will be finished in half the time, that bad Curd will
take, and by the extra weight of Cheese, that time will give, will
at length repay all your trouble; I well know, many Dairy-women are
partial to some particular method, or nostrum of their own, or their
mothers, or neighbour such a one who was a famous Dairy-woman, as being
preferable to all others, in which they often fail of success, in
some respect by having omitted to observe the exact minutia of their
practice. As a very small omission, in time, or method, sometimes
leads them into a labyrinth, which they very rarely ever get out of,
and causes them more vexation and perplexity, than if they had never
known any thing about it. Or, if their’s be a good method and very
practicable, perhaps it is possible there may be a better, or easier
means of proceeding, that will render their Plan quite needless.
I hope that those who wish to improve from my instructions, will give
it a fair Trial, if any at all; they need not say they are left in the
Dark in any part of it, as every particular is made plain and most of
them repeated, as precept upon precept, and line upon line. Let them
be particular however in the main concerns, such as the proper warmth
of the Milk, the goodness, and use of the Maw-skin, to give it Time
enough in the Tub, or Cheese-pan, to keep the Cheese warm when young,
and cool afterwards; then I think they will scarce fail of making good
Cheese. If they mean to excel, and make fine Cheese--and why not?--Then
I refer them to the more minute Observations of the Work, and I wish
and hope, that they will find their Pains well bestowed, and afford
them both Comfort and Profit. I doubt not but methods used in different
Counties vary a good deal. Some perhaps may be pointed out that are
preferable to some of mine, and if any Person will be kind enough to
point them out to me, or shew me where any thing has been omitted, or
Error committed, if another Edition should be called for, I shall very
willingly communicate them to the Public.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
ON BUTTER.
Butter is an Article in very general use, and numerous are the people
employed in making it; and is in great esteem; from observations I have
made, it admits of very little variation in the method of preparing,
which methods are so generally known, require very little commentary
upon them; I profess not to understand them, and therefore shall say
very little about it. What little I have remarked in conversing with
Dairy-women, is, that care should be taken to set up your Milk when
it is of a proper warmth--Milk-warm is the best, regulated the same
as for rendling Cheese, applying a little cold Water if too hot, and
either warm Water or Milk if too cold; many think Water best, saying,
it will throw up Cream sooner; to take care the Utensils it is set up
in, are exceeding clean--the utility of which I think is clearly made
appear by observing the effect of a contrary remark in making Whey
Butter.--Indolence, finds out many ways which Industry never thought
of.--Some Butter-Women, whose care is, more, to make a large quantity,
than regard the quality, or flavour of Butter, will tell you, that sour
Whey, yields more Cream than sweet, and it immediately turns sour, by
putting it into the Pans you poured the last meal’s Whey from, without
washing them. 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; and if the last meal
should change, you may then be enabled to keep all the sweet Cream by
itself.--The less time the Cream stands before it is churned, the
finer flavoured and sweeter your Butter will be.
Nothing is more commendable in a Dairy-maid than cleanliness,
nor will any thing cause them to be more esteemed; every one who
perceives extream neatness in a Dairy, cannot help wishing to purchase
either Butter or Cheese from so clean and neat a place, and would
gladly give a higher price, rather than be exposed to the chance of
sluttish nastiness, too common in many Dairys. It is remarked by many
Travellers, that in the _Isle_ of _Wight_, nothing is more pleasing
than to see the exceeding neatness of their Dairys; it very rarely goes
unnoticed, and to a delicate taste, scarce any thing affords greater
pleasure.