St. Landry democrat., 1888-08-04
MILKING THE COWS.
How, Where and When This Important
Work Should BE Performed

Work Should BE Performed.
Milking should always be done in a.
clean, airy place, free from all bad
odors. If in a stable it should be scru-
pulously clean, and have some kind Of
deodorizer, such as dry earth, dry
muck, land-plaster, saw-dust, etc, scat
tered over the floor. The best OF all ia
the land-plaster, which goes into the
manure, and is applied to the soil in
about as good way as possible.
1t is better to have cows confined in
stanchions Or otherwise for milking, to
avoid their moving about, and to pre-
vent accidents. 1t is also better to have
some kind of shelter especially when it
rains
Before beginning to milk, brush all
the loose hairs and dirt from the cows
side and udder. If the udder is soiled,
have pail of water and cloth or
sponge at hand and give it thorough
cleaning.
Have the hands dry and clean and do
not wet the cows teats with milk. It's
a filthy habit. If they need moistening,
resort to the pail of water.
Be gentle with the COW and sit down
to her so that you can place your head
against her flank and control the move
ment of her leg with your left arm, in
case she steps around or is inclined
kick
The safest position is on a three
legged stool, taking the pail firmly be-
tween your knees, not getting so near
or so far away that the mixer can not
sit firmly and steadily and rise quickly.
Take hold of the teat, well up on the
udder, and gently stroke it downward,
before beginning to milk. This gives
the cow warning and limbers the skin,
so as to reduce the danger of hurting.
Grasp the off hind teat with the left
hand and the near fore teat with the
right, or the off fore teat with the right
hand and the near hind teat with the
left, so as to milk across. This gives
more room for the hands, and some ex-
periments indicate that it secures more
milk than by milking two teats side by
side.
In grasping the teats, reach well up
on the udder and press the milk down
ward into the teat, closing the fore
finger and thumb tightly around it.
next to the udder, as soon as the teat
comes fairly within the hand. Then
close the second, third and fourth fin
gers in order, giving a slight but gentle
pull on the teat, and squeezing out of it
all the milk it contains before loosening
the grip. Repeat this operation until
the milk ceases to flow.
When the flow of milk is not large it
is generally necessary to strip first one
pair and then the other to coax the
milk into the teats, or to make the cow
''give down." Grasping the udder high
up and stroking downward to the teats
helps expedite the flow of milk.
In many cases the milk does not
stream directly downward into the pail,
but off one side. With a little care one
can soon get the right position to turn
the stream into the pail and avoid
waste.
Be careful not to pinch the cows
teats, Or cut your nails into the skin.
Kickers are often made by hurting
cows in this way.
Let every mixer have the same COW
to milk regularly each night and morn
ing, and let him begin every time with
the same one, milking each in the same
order, and closing with the same one
every time. This regularity induces
sort of expectancy or habit in the cows,
and each is prepared to. be MIXED when
her turn comes. There is sort of
surprise or excitement about being
MIXED out of order that lessons the
flow. Cows get used to their mixer,
enjoy the operation more, and do better
than they will if they have different
It is important that the cow
should like her mixer and have con-
idence in him.
Strip the teats at least twice after ex-
the first flow, and be sure that
the milk is all drawn. This gives ma
lure to understand that you demand the
full amount and expect her to keep up
the flow. Leaving her little milk
gives her the opposite hint, which she
Is sure to take. Nature responds to
demand. No demand, no supply.-T.
D. Curtis, IN Mirror and Farmer.