Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-18
DUMMY COW IS
FEATURE OF A
new SCHOOL
Purpose Of Schools is to
Teach Rudiments of farm
ing to Young Women.

COPIED Hall, England. April 1s.-
Correspondents Of the Associated
Press).-Ihe dummy cow is per-
haps the most interesting part Of the
machinery Of the new schools Of
farming which ~ springing up all
over rural ENGLAND for the purpose
OF teaching the rudtments to young
Women volunteers for work on the
land.
Of these schools. M of the largest
u Gloss to London, on the borders OF
Epptng Forest, which is to the British
metropolis what Bronx Park is to New
York. The school is on a large &C.
clesiastical estate known as "Coppsd
Hail." where the girls are billetted
ancient red brick once the shelter Of
hooded monks and leisurely friars.
The school boasts of ten dummy
cows" on which the wouId-be milk.
maids must practice milling. The
dummy consists of four tripod legs
and an India rubber bag with four
red rubber teats. The bag is filled
justs the flow at either hard" me
| dunn or easy" and the novice goes
to work.
After a weeks practice on the dunn
nay. two hours a day, the students
are allowed to try their skill in milk
ing nanny goats. They must spend at
least a week milking nanny goats
before they r allowed to touch a
real COW. It is a great occasion for
the first time to milk a cow.
1--we been promoted, remarked
one student with a proud smile. This
~ my first COW. I have had a week
at milking the dummy in the COW
school over the hill, and another
week n the goat stables, getting my
wrists and fingers into trim. The
goats are very nice. but the dummy
cows are not popular. 1t is very good
ticing on a dummy piano. You can't
get any sympathy out Of it. Some
of the girls close their eyes and try
to imagine it Is a real GOV but II
takes a lot Of imagination"
The students are supposed to com.
plete their course in %all-around farm
work in about six weeks. Then they
farms. where they usually work In
groups Of five or six.
The superintendent of the COPIED
Hall school, who has been q practical
farmer for thirty years. is enthusiastic
about their work. "The experiment
:. promises to he much more successful
than I ever thought 1t would BE-" he
SAID. me girls mostly take vel J
well to the life. which is healthy and
interesting. Best of all, the cows and
horses take to the girl labor quite nat.
urally. Girls are more sympathetic
with the COWS than men Or boys. Ever
our vicious cows and 'kickers' are
much better. behaved than they were
in the old days Of man labor. Wher
a man Is milking a Kicking cow anf
she suddenly lashes out, he usually re
taliates by kicking back. and thi!
double show Of temper is had for thu
COW and worse for the milk. The girl'
don't kick back. because a girl cam
kick with any effect. They try sooth
ing words instead, and 1t Is wonderful
what the human voice will do will
animals"
Most Of the girls thus far recruited
are Of a little above the average mid
die class socially. Some Of them hav
been a%ristocratic. A young gradual
who was sen to a farm about tire
miles from the school a short tim
ago gave her new employer a shoe
when she appeared with her trir
leather suit. knee boots OF RUSSIA
leather, and a serviceable farm hat
worth perhaps $25. The next day tn
school superintendent received a not
from the farmers wife:
Dear Sir:-Our new farm han
has arrived and ia entirely satisfac
tory. But we are in q %quandary. Doe
she live with the servants or shoul
she dine with me?"