Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-09-25
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RIGHT MILKING.
Some Advice 1t Will Pay All Dairy
men to Consider.

men to Consider.
A matter of farm economy often
overlooked is that of right milking.
Anybody on the farm who can squeeze
stream of milk out of cows teat is
set at the task. says Homestead. And
those who don't know how, provided
they are part of the FARMS working
force, are made to learn. Milking is a
chore not requiring much strength and
on the ordinary farm considered as
not requiring great skill. If the cows
have any milk, the ordinary mixer
can get it. What more is asked?
When butter is sold for II cents per
pound, there is no incentive to pains
taking milking, but where milk or but
ter has become one of the farms sta
pie products care in milking is worth
while. The large number of cows on
some farms. to be sure, requires all the
help available. But the youngsters
and inexperienced men should be well
helpers.
The first principle of teaching should
be cleanliness. A mixer with clothes
SO grimy that particles of dirt and dust
fall into the milk and whose hands
could be benefited by soapsuds needs
a lesson; ditto the person who sticks
his fingers into the milk pail or milks
on his hands so as to wet the cows
teats. In addition to cleanliness on
the part of the mixer, care in thor
oughly brushing off the cows udder
should be insisted upon and particular
care that neither through kicking.
switching or otherwise none of the
stables filth gets into the milk. The
best way to guard against such acct
dents is to have the stable clean.
After cleaning comes efficiency. 1t
includes good ways of holding the teat,
rapidity and thoroughness of milking.
The feat, if not too short, should be
grasped with the whole hand. the in
deX finger and thumb pressing, as the
hand closes, Il little more firmly than
the lower fingers, thus forcing the milk
downward instead of upward. Milk
ing with the thumb and one or two
fingers, slipping them down the teat,
is to be condemned since it is neither
quicker nor easier than the whole hand
way and calls for the filthy practice of
wetting the teats. Thoroughness means
getting the last and richest drop. 1t is
necessary to milk dry, all dairymen
know, if the COW is to be kept up with
her milk. Rapidly of milking, un-
less it be violent, stimulates the flow.
Finally comes the treatment of the
COW. 1t is of great Importance, with
the nervous COW perhaps of first i'm
portance Singing of boisterous kind,
whistling, chattering, loud talking, to
say nothing of rough handling, GER
tainly does not make the COW more
comfortable and therefore cannot be
conducive to a full, steady flow Of
milk, and do not treat the COW to an
Indifferent mixer every day and to ir-
regular hours of milking. Because OF
mere changing about of mixers we
have frequently noticed in herds Of
fifteen OF twenty cows a decrease of
10 per cent in a days milk. Let each
COW become acquainted with her milk
er, and let the mixer stick by her.
All of these things-cleanliness, eff
cheney and careful treatment of the
cow-are matters of economy, for if
all the COW has is to be got from her
and the product is to be marketed in
first class style she must receive at
tention. She must be taught the new
mixers.