Can Cows be Educated?

Kaikoura Star, Volume XIV, Issue 753, 6 July 1894, Page 3

Can Cows be Educated?

. Is there such a thing as educating cows to be rapid milkers ? And can all cows be educated thus ? When a boy the writer worked on a dairy farm, the proprietor of which had the reputation of being a very rapid milker. He broke in a number of heifers each year and always milked these himself. His claim was that it was bis early training largely that made the difference in the time required for milking. His method was simply to begin milking as soon as seated, and continue rapidly and uninterruptedly until all the milk was drawn from the udder, and to do do stripping. The last part of the milk was sometimes drawn by pressing from the upper part of the udder downward, upon first one side of the udder, and then the other with one hand, drawing the milk from the corresponding teats with the other. With some cows not even this was necessary. He claimed that the habit of giving down milk rapidly and completely with no retention of the strippings was easily formed with heifers if they were always milked thus. That if the milker dawdled over his work the cows would get into the habit of giving down their milk in the same manner. His cows certainly supported his claim, and little stripping was necessary in his herd. Occasionally a cow was found which was a hard milker, and a teat slitter was usually employed to render the operation of milking easier. Isn’t this part of the subject—the proper training of the heifers—worthy of more attention than it generally receives ?