Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-02-15
DAIRY COLUMN.
MILKING AND HANDLING MILK.

Milking should always De done Ill
clean, airy place, free from all bad
odors. If in stable, it should be
scrupulously clean. and have some kind
of deodorizer, such as dry earth. or
muck. Land plaster, which goes into
the manure and is applied to the soil,
is about as good as possible.
1t is better to have cows confined in
stanchions, or otherwise, for milking
10 avoid moving about and TO prevent
accidents. 1t is also better TO have
some kind of shelter, especially when
it rains.
Before beginning to milk, brush all
the loose HAIR and dirt from the cows
side and uder If the udder is soiled
have pail of water and cloth or
sponge ut hand and give it thorough
cleaning
Have the hands dry and clean and
do not wet the cows teats with milk.
1t is filthy habit. If they need moist
ening resort to the pail of water.
BE gentle TO the cow and sit down
20 her so that you can place your head
against her flank, and control the
movement of her leg with your left arm,
in case she steps around or is inclined
to kick.
The safest position is on three-leg-
ged stool, taking the pail firmly be-
tween your knees, not getting so near
or SO far away that the mixer cannot
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,
40 as 10 reduce the danger of hurting.
Grasp the off hand 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
experiments indicate that it secures
more milk than by milking two teats
side by side.
In grasping the teats reach well up
OH the udder and press the milk down
ward into the teat. closing the foreiin-
ger and thumb tightly around it; next
the udder as soon as the teat comes
fairly within the hand. Then close the
second. third and fourth finger in order
giving slight but gentle pull on the
teat, and squeezing out all the milk it
contains before loosing the grip.
Repeat this operation until the milk
ceases to flOw
When the flow of the 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 teat helps to expedite the flow of
milk.
In many cases the milk dose 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 steam into the pail and avoid
waste.
BE careful not to pinch the COW
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
a sort of expectancy of 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 use to their mixer,
enjoy the operation more, and do better
than they will if they have different
mixers. 1t is important that the COW
should like her mixer, and have con-
fidence in him.
Strip the teats at least twice after ex-
hausting the first flow, and be sure
that the milk is all drawn. This gives
nature to understand that you demand
the full amount, and expect her to keep
ND the flow Leaving a little milk gives
her the opposite hint, which she is sure
to take, Nature responds to demand.
No demand. no supply.
CKeep all the dirt possible out of the
milk, and do not depend on the strain
er to take out dirt. Only hairs and
such dirt as is mechanically held can
be strained out. What is dissolved in
the milk will remain here, to soil it and
iniure its flavor and keeping qualities.
Strain the milk as soon as drawn
from the COW, so as to keep the amount
of dissolved filth at the minimum.
Set the can or other reccptacles
where the microbes and fungus germs
from the stable or coward fall into it