The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-13
TO MILK TIE COWS WITH.
The Machine a Scotchman Has Devised
How It Works.

How It Works.
From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.J
Three or four miles pleasant ride
from the town of Kilmarnock, one of
the centers of the dairying interests Of
is the dairy farm Of Haining
Mains, on the estate of the duke Of
Portland. "Here for some months
past" says the London Times, "a new
milking machine, invented by MIR.
William Murchland, sanitary engineer,
K:lmarnock, has been in operation,
the tenant of the farm, Mr.. David
Shaw, having afforded every facility.
There is nothing connected with the
ordinary work of dairy farm which
is more troublesome and more laborious
than the operation of milking cows.by
hand. On a cold winter morning,
when each operator has to milk
dozen or more COWS by the dim light
of lantern, the work is especially
severe. Moreover, the necessity often
arises of finding employment during
the day for more hands perhaps, than
would be otherwise retained il order
to secure a sufficient number for milk
ing at this operation has usually to be
completed within certain time.
Many schemes have been devised for
the automatic or mechanical milking
of COWS.
"One after another they have been
tried, found wanting and discarded.
In some of them the barbarous prac-
tice Of forcing a tube into the teat Of
the cow has been resorted to, with the
result that the animals subjected to
this treatment have been permanently
Injured, even to the extent of being un-
able to retain their milk. In most OF
them the milk has been withdrawn Oh
the pneumatic principle by reducing
the pressure within the milk-bag below
that of the normal atmospheric pres
sure outside it. This, indeed, is the
principle underlying the Murchland
milking machine, with, however, the
difference that, whereas, in all previous
attempts the apparatus has only been
applicable to one cow at time, by
means of the new machine any number
of COWS can be MIXED Simultaneous
ly.
"The apparatus, as installed at Hahn
ing Mains, is of a very simple charac-
ter. An ordinary iron pipe, one inch
in diameter, is carried around the COW
house at convenient height above
the shoulders of the COWS. 1t commu-
nicated with a hand-pump, whereby
the :air is drawn from the pipe, cir
cular tank connected with shallow
well of water serving as a regulator OF
the vacuum. From the iron pipe pro-
ject connections, one opposite the
space between every pair of animals,
each connection being furnished with
a stop-cock. To any one Of these con-
nections is fitted a length of India
rubber tubing, the other end being at
tached to nozzle near the top of the
milk pail, which is of special construc-
ton. The pail is cylindrical in form
with truncated conical top. lis open
ing which is four inches wide is closed
by means of a thick glass disk, which
rests inside flush with the outer rim of
the pail, supported by a thick rubber
hand, held in place by a projecting
ledge underneath. On one side of the
shoulder of the pail is the nozzle which
has been referred to, and on the oppo-
site side are four similar nozzles, al! OF
which are like the small connections
upon the iron pipe. The solitary noz-
zle is for attachment to the long, tiex-
ible tube from the iron pipe; the other
four are for short lengths Of tubing,
connected in their turn with specially
constructed teat cups, each OF which
receives a teat of the cow under opera
ton. The cups, like the pail, are made
of timed iron, aud each one is pro-
vided with a tap or stop-cock. The
milk pail has, in addition to its handle
a couple of hooks, by means of which
it is suspended a little in front Of the
cows udder, broad band Of girthlng
being laid across the animals loins for
that purpose.
"The modus operandi is very simple.
When it is ready, the pump is worked
by lad, and the air is thus exhausted
from the iron pipe. Then pail, with
it's teat cups attached, is adjusted un-
der the cow, the long tube is joined
to one of the connections overhead,
the stop-cock is opened and a partial
vacuum is established within the pail
Next, one of the teat cups is moistened
and placed so as to embrace teat ;
the stop-cock of the cup is then opened,
the teat is thus brought under the in
fuence of the vacuum, and the greater
external atmospheric pressure at once
causes the milk to begin to flow. After
all four teat cups have thus been ad-
four jets of milk can be seen
flowing into the can Immediately be-
meath the glass cover. In from eight
to ten minutes the cow is MIXED dry,
and, the stop-cock Of the connection on
the iron pipe being turned off, the
long India rubber tube is detached
from the pail thus destroying the
vacuum. The pail with its teat cups
is taken away, the milk is poured out
and the apparatus is ready for another
COW.
1.-The animals submit very quietly to
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