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.
A friendly correspondent, being a considerable dealer in Cheese, knowing of my intended publication, is so kind as to favour me with his sentiments on some particulars; which, as some of them coincide with my own already described, and one in particular, promises great utility to very small Dairys, and will be a considerable means to prevent sour Cheese, by pointing out a method to preserve the Curd without hazard, with his permission I lay it before my readers.
“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 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. I beg leave to inform you of a method practised with good success. A friend of mine who was a Farmer’s Daughter, and had been used to a Dairy, marrying a person of a different profession, they kept one Cow to give Milk for the family, which being small she could not use all the Milk; she then tried to make Cheese of the surplus, and made tolerable sized Cheeses, perhaps seven or eight pounds each, in the following manner; when the weather was warm, she put Runnet to the Milk as oft as she found it necessary, once or twice a day, while it was sweet; having separated the Curd from the Whey, she put the Curd into a broad shallow Tub, just covering it with cold water, and shifting the water two or three times a day as she thought necessary, and thus kept the different parcels of Curd, till she had enough to fill her Vat, by which means, she made exceeding good Cheese. 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. I know an instance or two myself, of persons who I firmly believe made their Cheese of real New-Milk, yet broke their Curd so much that their Cheese was not so good as I have had two-meal Cheese. I think the method used in Norfolk and Suffolk to separate the Whey from the Curd, is much preferable to that used in Warwickshire, or Leicestershire; when they think the Milk is sufficiently curdled, they lay a strainer into a basket (made for the purpose,) which they put the Curd into and let it stand to drain for a time, before they break the Curd.”
In regard to my friend’s opinion concerning what he calls grey, dirty looking Cheese, ’tis often caused by foul Runnet, but I am of opinion it more often happens when Cows have been drenched, either for the yellows or other complaints; and it will look of that countenance and get insipid, or ill tasted when much frozen, as I have more than once had Cheese in my own possession turn of that dark putrid colour after being much froze, that I knew was not so before it was affected by frost.
Being lately in company with a Dairy-man at a distance, talking about Cheese-making, he said he never used a Cheese press, and said that his Cheese got hard as soon, and kept as well as those that used a Press, the method he used is, to make the Cheese in a hoop (being chiefly thickish skim Cheese, tho’ he said he often made New-Milk Cheese in the same way) that was open at top and bottom, which being filled with Curd, and well squeezed into it, was then set upon a board that had holes bored in it, the hoop also being bored and cover’d with a board which was bored also, putting a moderate weight upon the board to settle the Cheese; turning it upside down, twice a day till it got stiff, and it answered very well. When Curd is firm, it will settle and get hard with very little crushing, it is the slip-Curd that is in it, that makes it require so much pressing to settle it, this method will be very useful in very small Dairys that have no Press.
Clover, or other artificial Grass, which generally contains more Air 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.