The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-04-21
DUMMY
COW" IS
new one.
Young Women Farm Hands
In England Learn to Milk
Through Their Use.
(Ry Associated Press.l

COPIED Hall. England, April 21.-
The dummy COW" ID perhaps thu
most interesting part of the machin.
cry Of the new schools Of farming
which are springing up all over rura
England for the purpose of teaching
the. rudiments to young women volun-
teers for work on the land.
OF these schools, one of the largest
is close to London, on the borders OF
Epping Forest, which is to the British
metropolis what Bronx park is to New
York. The school Is on large eccle-
siastical estate known as "Copped
Hail." where the girls are billetted in
towering, lavish buildings of ancient
red brick, once the shelter of hooded
monks and leisurely friars.
The school boasts of ten dummy
cows" on which the would-be milk
maids must practice milking. The
dummy consists OF four tripod legs
and an India rubber bag with four
red rubber teats. The bag is filled with
water, then the instructor adjusts the
flow at either hard" medium" or
easy" and the novice goes to work.
Get Week on Dummy
After weeks practice on the dunn
my, two hours a day, the students are
allowed to try their skill in milking
nanny goats. They must spend at
fore they are allowed to touch real
COW. 1t is great occasion for a girl
pupil when she is allowed for the first
time to milk COW.
1--WE been promoted" remarked one
student with a proud smile. This is
my first COW. have had a week at
milking the dummy in the 'cow-schooI
over the Hill. and another week in the
goat stables, getting my wrists and
6Yau tSn4A AvS,, @e
nice, but the dummy cows are not
popular. 1t is very good practice, but
It's very much like practicing on
dummy piano. You can't get any
sympathy out of ii. Some of the girls
close their eyes and try to imagine
it is real cow, but it takes lot OF
imagination"
The students are supposed to COM
plete their course in all-around farm
work in about SIX weeks. Then they
are sent out to take places on regular
farms, where they usually work in
groups of five or six.
superintendent Enthusiastic.
The superintendent Of the CoppeN
Hall school, who has been a practical
farmer for thirty years. is enthusiast
tic about their work. THE experiment
promises to be much more successful
than ever thought 1t would be-" he
said. 1.-THE girls mostly take very well
to the life, which is healthy and inter-
esting. Best OF all, the cows and hor-
ses take to the girl labor quite nat
urally. Girls are more sympathetic
with the cows than men or boys. Even
our vicious cows and kickers' are
much better behaved than they were
in the old days of man labor. When a
man is milking kicking cow and she
suddenly lashes out, he usually re-
by kicking back, and this
double show of temper is bad for the
cow and worse for the milk. The girls
don't kick back, because girl can't
kick with any effect. They try sooth-
ing words instead, and it is wonderful
what the human voice will do with
animals"
Most of the girls thus far recruited
are of a little above the average mid |
die class socially. Some of them have |
been aristocrats. A young graduate |
who was sent to farm about three |
miles from the school a short time |
ago gave her new employer quite a |
shock when she appeared with her |
rim leather suit, knee boots of Rus |
sian leather, and serviceable farm |
rat" worth perhaps $25. The next day |
he school superintendent received q /
note from the farmers wife:
Dear Sif:
Our new farm hand has arrived and |
s entirely satisfactory. But we are in |
/ quandary. Does she live with the |
or should she dine with |
ne?"