The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1912-09-20

uoE WnlCe mllK does NOT always
indicate poor milk: neither is yellow
milk necessarily very rich. Grass.
bright clover hay, carrots, pumpkins
and yellow cornmeal tend to deepen
the color of milk.
Rich foods may stimulate the pro-
duction of fat for short time, but the
cow will return to her normal percent
age and perhaps-due to forcing-fall
below 1t for awhile. At the same
time the percentage of fat in milk is
by no means constant. In every 100
pounds of milk there are 81 pounds of
water.
Tho CoIostrum.
The fluid the cow yields directly aft
er calving is known as colostrum,
which differs essentially in compost
ton from normal milk and is usually
considered unfit for human food.
The milk gradually loses its colos-
trum character and in from five to
ten days after the cow has freshened
is generally normal.
Children or weak handed persons
should never milk good COWS.
Did you ever think why calf or a
lamb bunts it's mother when getting
its supper? Instinct taught it that by
giving a bunt or two. the milk came
quicker-the nerves were thereby ex-
cited. Some mixers might take les
son from the calf and instead Of try
ing to get the udder as well as the
milk into the pail. let them press up
ward instead Of pulling downward so
hard. The udder is less likely to be-
come injured or unshapely.
Much might be said in favor Of wo-
men as mixers. The withdrawal of
women from the cow stable has been
detrimental to the dairy industry. but
milking comes at such inconvenient
hours for the housewife, and her du-
ties are already so manifold she should
not be asked to 60 to the stable to
milk.
Better to have dirty floor than a
dirty atmosphere in stable at milk
ing time. The milk does not touch the
floor. but it passes directly through the
atmosphere. II you want pure milk
the air must be pure in which it is
MIXED. Some Of the best diaries have
separate milking sheds.
To secure clean milk the cows should
be brushed down. The stables should
be cleaned and ventilated and q little
land plaster or other absorbent sprink-
led in the cutters. Just before milk
ing begins the udder should be wiped
with damp cloth and. If soiled. wash
ed with warm water.
The mixer should have on a suit of
washable material. which should be
washed when dirty. The mixers
hands should be clean and free Of dis
ease. Do not milk with wet hands.
Some mixers have the bad habit of
moistening the hands with the first
streams Of milk. The milk in the I'D
der proper is practically free from
germ life. bnt as the COW lies down on
the never too clean floor. bacteria of
the worst form find their way through
the opening at the end Of the teat. and
In the milk in the teat canal they Clio.
riously thrive and multiply. This is
the milk that should go into a small
tin for the barn kitty. While bad for
the milk supply. I have never known
1t to kill a cat. Do not milk It on the
barn floor or in few days you will
have a most offensive smell arising.
A good practice is to rub the hands
with a little vaseline or lard.
If either the fore or back portion of
the udder is poorly developed. milk
that part first In the hope Of stimulat-
ing the nerves and overcoming to some
extent the deficiency.
Always milk the cows In the same or
der. Milk as nearly as you can at the
same hour. having equal periods of
time between the milkings. Cows nv
ing very heavy fow Of milk are often
MIXED three or four times during the
twenty -four hours.