Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-02-20

fore milking and the hands and teats
must be dry during milking. The habit
of wetting the hands while milking is
a filthy one and will not be tolerated
by an up-to.date dairyman: 1t pol,
l9tes the milk, Injuries the teats, and
should be a penitentiary offense. The
A rough, damp or cold hand is not
udder: A good teat has a soft, buck
and susceptible to cold or any other
irritation. Many COW has been poi
s0ned and had her udder ruined by the
dirty hands of a careless mixer. Civ
en-, for instance, tritling scratch on
teat and the milkman fresh from sort
ing potatoes, and the prospects are
that in a few days you will have COW
with sore teats, diseased udder and an
irritable temper.
Then let the touch be gentle. A firm
grasp should be accompanied with real
gentleness. Do not grasp the teat
harshly and abruptly. A few gentle,
quieting preliminary strokes are al
ways to be given before the real work
of milking begins. This Gains the
COW, treasures her, gets her good will,
and warns the udder. Then the real
milking begins. The teat is firmly but
gently .grasped with the whole hand if
possible and high-up hold taken.
Then gentle and firm pressure is made,
the pressure beginning from above
the first contraction being of the thumb
and fOre6nger and immediately fol-
lowed by a contraction of the rest of
the hand and very slight downward
motion. The experienced hand fol-
lows the milk current part of the way
to the outlet. There is knack about
this part of the milking that some op-
orators never acquire. To be firm yet
gentle, to know just how and where to
seize the teat, to know just how much
force to use and when to stop the pres
sure, are things that can be learned
only by actual experience. But some
operators never learned them because
they never knew their Importance
There is reason for all this, and if
the worker tries very hard he will find
out the why at the same time he is
; learning the how.
Do not continue to squeeze the teat
after the milk current has passed out.
Forcible compression of the walls of
the duct is injurious if the teat is emp
lty. Do not drag or pull downward on
the teat. Drop it gently. It should
not be made to flop or spring upward
when released. Milk rapidly, but do
not go at it as if you were pumping
water or, shoveling coal. Someone
Twill tell you to- milk FAST" but be
sure you milk we'll whether you milk
fast or not. Get up a comfortable,
steady rythm; milk in time to the work
ing of the cows jaws if she is eating
hay, or little melody of cheerfulness
that will come to your mind. Milk
until you have got all the milk, but
when you have thoroly emptied quar-
ter leave it. Do not continue the milk
ing motion on an empty teat; do not
| go back to q teat once you have left Is.
If you begin that with young COW
you will make her q slow or uncertain
mixer, one that will never let you
know when you are thru. Never milk
with the thumb and finger; never strip.
You get less milk, you ruin the elias
ITCHY Of the duct and you make her a
sthard mixer or 'gurgler:,, Some
may say strip, them clean, = but this
IS nonsense. Milk properly, milk till
leach quarter, is #emptied, then quit.
But your task is not done until you
have called the COW by name, gently
Ipatted her side and made sure that you
Ihsve LETT her Ii : friendly mood.