HAND v. MACHINE.

Grey River Argus, 22 February 1927, Page 7

HAND v. MACHINE.

METHODS OF MILKING REVERSION FORECASTED. MORRINSVILLE, Feb. IS) In the opinion of a Morriusville dairy farmer milking machines will be out of action in 10 years’ time and the New Zealand farmer will be drifting back to hand-milking. The reasons given for this opinion are as follows:— It is a recognised fact that machinemilking, .even with most careful stripping, does not extract the whole of the butter-fat from the cows. For a smail farmer milking about 30 cows, handmilking would be better and more'economical. In the first instance the expenditure to purchase a milking machine would be obviated, as would inci ■ dental charges. One man could milk six or. seven cows in an hour, so that two men in the milking shed should be able to dispose of 30 cows at each milking.

There was now such a demand lor small farms that it would not be long before subdivision into small holdings would be the inevitable result. With the advancement made with heavier top-dressing 50 acres could easily carry h herd of 30 cows and do them well right through the season. On those small farms tho milking machine won 1 ! not bo required, and with small holdings predominating milking machines woul l rapidly decrease to a comparatively small number.