Observe the coat of your cheese before you purchase it; for if it be old, with a rough and ragged coat, or dry at top, you may expect to find little worms or mites in it. If it is moist, spongy, or full of holes, it will give reason to suspect that it is maggoty. Whenever you perceive any perished places on the outside, be sure to probe to the bottom of them; for, though the hole in the coat may be but small, the perished part within may be considerable.