2 per cent fat and up to 2.8 per cent casein gives the best results.the milk with a high percentage of cheesemaking solids forms a firmer curd, hence works up better in the process than milk of lower quality._acidity._the milk is ripened by lactic starter up to an acidity of 0.23 per cent titrated as lactic acid at the time rennet is added.this gives a firm curd, which drains to the desired watercontent but is low enough to prevent the toughening effect of too high acid.a very slight increase in initial acid1 to 2 hundredths per centcombined with the rate at which acidity is developing introduces such physical changes in texture as to make the final texture of roquefort impossible._temperature._rennet is added at or below 84° f.every degree of heat adds definitely to the efficiency of rennet.below 82° f., curdling becomes slower and the coagulum softer and more difficult to drain.the sheeps milk curd is made from 76° to 84° f.but sheeps milk has about twice the cheese solids found in cows milk.it was found necessary to raise the temperature as high as texture would permit.however, at 86° f.the physical character of the curd tends to become tough or waxy in handling.at 84° f.the curd remains brittle and crumbly.it was, therefore, necessary to keep the curdling temperature down to 84° f._renneting or setting._rennet at a rate of 3 to 4 ounces of standard liquid rennet to 1000 pounds (10 to 12 c.c.to 100 pounds) was found to give the best curd under experimental conditions._curdling time._one and onehalf to two hours gave most satisfactory results in forming curd.this should be very firm and stand until it begins to sweat, until beads of whey have begun to collect upon its surface._cutting._the cows milk curd gave best results when cut in two directions with the halfinch curd knife.the resulting columns, a half inch square in crosssection, may be handled without excessive losses._draining._the cut curd is dipped to a draining rack covered with cloth with as little breaking as possible.during the draining process, a certain amount of turning is necessary to facilitate the separation and escape of the whey.if handled too much, losses of fat are increased and the curd becomes tough or waxy instead of remaining brittle or crumbly.when properly handled, not over 0.35 per cent of fat is lost.under favorable conditions, fourninths to twothirds of the original weight of curd will separate and run off as whey in twenty to thirty minutes.the curd meanwhile is exposed to the air of the room and cools toward room temperature.if cooling goes too far, further drainage is interfered with.hence the curd is put into the hoop and the drainage completed while the cheese is reaching its final form._hoop._hoops for cows milk roquefort must be 7½ inches in diameter and about 5¾ inches high to hold curd enough to produce a cheese the size of the standard roquefort when completely drained.sheeps milk with its higher percentage of solids does not require such high hoops.the curd as it goes into the hoop should be a soft, pulpy mass with no suggestion of toughness._inoculation with mold._the mold for roquefort cheese (_penicillium roqueforti_[70]) is readily grown in pure culture in ordinary loaves of bread.for this purpose loaves hot from the oven are quickly drenched with or immersed in hot paraffine to form an impervious crust to retain moisture as well as to keep out contaminations.it is then allowed to cool.the interior of each loaf is inoculated by drawing a suspension of _p