FARMING NOTES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 220, 2 October 1940, Page 3

FARMING NOTES

THERE'S AN ART IN . . . . USING THE MILKING MACHINE SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE FROM "A PRACTICAL LOCAL 'DAIRY FARMER'" The extraction of all the m'rlk a cow lias to give at milking time is of such importance that there is no room l'.or amateurish experiment in tlie dairy shed where a mil'king plant lias been installed for the milk ing of dairy cows. I know of no machine that will milk a cow properly without attention first being given to: (1) Inducing a leisure in the animal to give her milk freely, and (2) stripping after the removal of th? cups. EVen so, where a large herd is machine-milked some of the cows will assuredly test the knowledge of the most experienced hand and hold the richest part of their.milk. Thus hand-mil<king must be employed In conjunction with the milking machine. In milking a cow it is necessary to remember that we arc dcalling Avith tlie general nervous system of the animal and especially the nervous sj'stem of the udder. It is the stimulation in the course of drawing the milk from her that'induces the flow. Anything which tends to upset the equilibrium, of the nervous system will affect the quantity of milk produced. Experience teaches that there is no short cut to a quick, clean milking. In liand-milking the process is one straightout course, Avith tlie cow responding from, beginning to end until she has giA'en her Avhole supply; but Avhere machines, are used care should be taken to induce the coavs to llush before the cups arc put on her teats; then strip once or tAviee before their removal. In 3.n----diA'idual coavs the udder may be! Avashed and the cups put on immediately after and they will milk out clean, but it is better not to trust this method as a general routine. It -never pays. Starting Off. I have found it best to. start milking the animal as if it A\ r ere intended to milk her by hand, but as soon as she flushes and is milking freely, whip on the cups immediately and, as a rule, Avhen they are remoA'ert the coav Avill haA r e given most of her supply. On the remoA r al of the cups most coavs require stripping, and it is profitable to strip twice for several months after they have come to profit. The first stripping is done on the removal of the eupst then. leaA T e her Avhile attending to the supply of another animal after Avhich she can haA r e a final strip. In some cases it may be found necessary to give a third strip. As a rule, hoavever, Avhen a cow is Hearing the end of her season one stripping Avill prove sufficient. I haA r e also found that, at the beginning of her season, a cow is more subject to udder troubles. Hence the double stripping, Avhich is' preventive as AA r cll as profitable to the farmer either Avay. In the minds of some people it may occur that by leaA r ing the cups in the teats too long that blood will be draw 11. This is incorrect,, but there is a tendency for the teat to s\A r ell inside the cup which, in certain makes of machine, Avill cause serious trouble in getting the cups off the teats. It may also result in udder troubles, suqh as mastitis. The cups should be removed immediately it is seen no more milk is being draAvn. In a large herd there Avill always be the necessity for individualisation: the method used in milking one coav AA r ill not ahvays Avork Avith another. The stolid, placid coav may : after a time of one routine, ceas»e to respond to the coaxing influence of the milker in trying to get her to flush. Such a cow has to be carefully Avatched othenvise she Avilt ' give part of her.milk only. It Avill be obserA r ed that Avhen a young calf is sucking the mother, it Avill stop, pull the teat Avith its mouth and g'iA r e the bag a sharp rap AvitH its head, then go on drinking contentedly. Tin's is a tip for the milker Avho experiences difficulty in Hushing the sleepy cow. A. sharp punch on the udder Avith tlie closed fist or a shake from side to side Avhile holding 01

to the teats will generally bring the desired result. The nervous, highly , strung animal will ahvays have to be carefully handled in machine milking. If possible this cow should always be attended by the same person during milking hours otherwise she '*nfiy not milk up to capacity. Throw Out the "Toughies." 1 The really tough cows and those with large- or over-size teats have no place in a big herd where machines arc used no matter what their pro- j daction may be, because the inflations or rubbers inside the cup cannot deal with them and the milkeris compelled tc draw their milk by hand, thus holding up the milking. First season heifers can be milked with the cups if they can obtain a hold of the teat at all. It may lie necessary to hold the cups on until they have got a grip—in fact, they may have to be held on throughout the operation—but they should be removed before the heifer has quite finished milking, otherwise grave harm may be done to tTie passage and lining of the teat. Exceptional care should be exercised for the first month of a heifer's career as a milker. It is unsafe to milk her with cups unless she is attended by an experienced hand. The cow with the bottle-necked-shaped teat and the cow with teats pointing outwards from the side o! the bag do not yield a good milking with the machine. Such teats allow a passage of air between the teat and the inflation causing a drop in the vacuum, which will! probably reflect itself in the falling of a se;t of cups, and these in turn may drop the rest which results in general disorder. Once this happens the cows from which the cups fell will not finish milking the same when put on for the second time. Furthermore, the others waiting to be milked will have a slight nervojus reaction resulting in short yield. The main object when a person enters the cow shed to milk should be to get all the milk the cows have to give in the most economical way possible. There is no way this can be done except byi employing the assistance of the milking machine, but it can readily be seen that there arc several things to be taken into consideration other than simply going to the shed, starting up the plant and jiutting on the cups expecting a capacity return. In New Zealand the machine is recognised as indispensable, for without it the whole af that country's vast dairying could never have been built up. The machine, when intelligently handled, is a national asset and a boon to the dairy farmer.