The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-10-03
TO SPOIL A COW.
1t Can 15e Done by Had Management.
pecially In Milking.

The following very sensible article is
from the Australian Times. 1t is
worthy OF careful reading by every
man who milks COW whether he be
owner Or hired hand:
The greatest draw back in dairy work
is the difficulty in obtaining honest.
faithful servants. So far rs pecuniary
matters are concerned there is gener-
ally no complaint to make, but there 10
another kind Of honesty. which is very
scarce. The majority Of milkmen are
neither strict nor particular in the per-
Torrance Of their work when tho mas
ters eye is not upon them. The master
can not leave the milking shed in their
sole charge, and he can not trust the
servants to treat the cows with gentle
ness, and to milk them quickly but
without furry, and at tho same timo
to do the work thoroughly. Very few,
If any, people can find pleasure in milk
ing a number of cows morning and
evening for month after month. but yet
il must he done with the most perfect
regularity and thoroughness. The nd
der must be emptied to the last drop,
and il this is not done every time, the
supply will fall short every time-that
is. that nature finding that more milk
has been produced than is required,
will abstain from producing SO much
milk and devote the food to the pro-
duction OF fat or OF muscle. Almost
anybody can milk COW, hut there are
few who can do il properly. II is an
art. aud the man who can practice il is
worth more to the dairyman than any
other help. The art Of milking is to
draw it off steadily. quickly. (by no
means hurriedly) and completely.
Scarcely any two cows are exactly
alike in disposition and in character or
nature OF their teats and udder. Some
are hard to milk. and have very small
apcrtures; some have tender teats:
some are quite easy to milk; some cows
arc phlegmatic, others are lively and
nervous. Now it is extremely difficult
to find servant who will trouble him
self to study the indiyidnalities OF the
various cows, and try To humor their
caprices or adopt his plans to their Pc
culiarities. He wants to get through his
lob as quickly and easily - possible.
The easy -milking COW is his favorite,
and comes of by far the b.st. but be
sits down beside the hard mixer with
kind Of grudge against her supposed
failing. He expects some trouble with
the timid one, and this very fact i.
likely to make the trouble appear. The
animals know him and his temper and
moods far better than he knows theirs
They must be humored and put into 1
good humor. They may be forced into
submission, but they ought instead t.
be coaxea or persuaded into willing
compliance. If they are roughl,
handled. approached hastily, and with
out any care for their mood i
irritatcs and worries them: the fret
ting. the agitation and the worry max.
them fall in quantity, and within yer,
short time the decrease in yield il
quite marked. The worst OF it 10 tina
a return to proper treatment will no
restore the former condition of things
when the supply has fallen of through
wrong treatment. through the employ
ment Of careless servant: it can not b,
restored by entrusting the cows to tn.
care OF even the most careful person
Under proper feeding and kindly treat
mant the uddcr Of the COW becomes
distendcd with milk at regular inter
walls, and when the time comes shl
looks forward to be relieved of her bur
den. II the milkman understands tn,
cows, she looks to him as her friend, ant
yields up her milk with pleasure be
cause the distension of the udder j,
painful TO certain extent But whel
Il COW becomes troublesome. tries Il
kick over the pail, won't give down hel
milk. and SO on, there is cause for it
and the cause will generally be found
outside the cOw-she has not beef
properly treated and she resents it.
her delivery is slow perhaps the milk
man has been too hurried, and hurt tn,
teats in trying to force the flow; i
timid, he may have been too hasty o.
abrupt. At any rate. it is always saf,
to look first for the fault in the ma,
and not in the COW. Cows do not lik,
to be kept too long waiting to be MIXED
and they are even capable of jealous,
il one COW is MIXED out of her turn /,
the neglect of another. Regularity il
feeding, in milking and in perfect gen
tlcness and kindness in dealing will
cows are essential to success. An,
breach OF these desiderata is inevitabl,
marked by falling off in the yield ane
a consequent diminution of profits. Il
large dairy. where perhaps fifty OIL
one hundred and fifty cows are MIXED
1t would pay we'll to give salary to
foreman OF the mixers whose sole dut,
it should be to see that the cows ar,
properly treated and carefully MIXED
He would test each COW and also keel
q perfect yield OF every milking. TIL
scales alone should tell whether til,
lnilkmen were doing their duty fifth
/ fully