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I'Ation given by their method of fcalding, but alfo from their moderate prefUng. How-ever it mull not be imagined that the excellency and peculiarity of Parmefan cheefe de-pend altogether upon the fabrication ; their own idea is probably very juft, that roil, cli-mate, and irrigation come in for their fhare ; and that the abundance of certain plantshas an influence; but this kill caulk will not have much ft refs laid on it, fince cloversare found to be the chief plants.
I fhall not quit this moil interefting didrift, without recommending it ftrenuoufly tothofe who would wifh to give themielves a completely good fanning education. Forfuch a purpofe Codogno would be a proper ftation ; for it is fuvroutided by great dai-ries, and contains the largeft magazines of cheefe of any town in Lombardy ; the con-fequence of which is a Regular intercourfe with all the dairy mailers of the I.odizan.Much ufeful knowledge might here be gained in irrigation, and in making cheefe.
The oxen of this dairy farm begin to work at four years old ; and are fold at elevenor twelve years old, from 9 to j 2 louis each. A pair will plow eight pertiche aday ; and draw, waggon included, three thoufand pounds, of twenty-eight ounces,twenty miles.'
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Mozzata. —They praftife a finguTar method of fattening oxen here. They put chop-ped ftraw, a little hay, the leaves of maiz, and alfo fome flour of it, into a tub, andpour in hot (not boiling) water; and as they give this loup to the bead, they add foreach a handful of oil-cake in powder, or for want of that, of elm leaves in powder; oakleaves they give green. Another food in ufe is powdered acorns, which is given infteadof oil-cake, and with good fuccefs.
Lodi. —The cows here are generally of a biood red colour, long, lank, and ill made.In a dairy of ninety, they make for one hundred and fixty days, one cheefe a day, offixty pounds ; but in April' and May it is of feventy pounds. After St. Mai tin, the be-ginning of November, greater, but not every day ; in ieven months, one hundred andninety cheefes ; and in the reft of the year one hundred and feventy ; in all, three hun-dred and fixty ; this is two hundred and forty pounds per cow. In feeding, they givethe cows nothing from four in the afternoon till nine the next morning, unlefs the wea-ther be very bad, and then a little bay. In making the cheefe 1 found very little varia-tion in the practice from that already defended. For the coagulation, or what our dairywives call fetting, they heat the milk gradually, and take care not to do it too much atonce. In the great heats of fummer they let it without heating and even put ice or fnow(with which every dairy is provided) to cool it; but they do not confider the heat at let-ting to be a point of much confequence, as a little more or lei’s heat makes no difference.Tiie curd is broken exaftly as deferibed before, with two machines, one of wood only,the other armed with fine wires, and the faffron added during that operation. Scald itas at Milan, and, upon doing this with ikill, they aflert, that much depends; as by moreor Igfs fcalding they can remedy certain deficiencies in foils and plants. The reft of theoperation is juft as already deferibed, and all the utenfils the fame ; the weight fome-thing lefs than at Milan ; and here as great enemies to much prefiing. The cheefemade yefterday is all honey-combed in the coat, and as yellow as wax, a pale yellow :whereas at Milan the new cheefes are quite white. Thefe honey-combs wear out byfc raping after falting, which is for thirty-fix or forty days;- they are then coloured, andthere is given to them an appearance of a whitifli cruft, or eftlorefcence artificially.They are preferred by oiling, as at Milan. Good cows give about five gallons ofmilk per diem ; the belt of all, fix. Sixty cows require one hundred pertiche for fixmonths in funnner.
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