Milking by Machinery at Bodalla.

Manawatu Herald, 19 July 1892, Page 3

Milking by Machinery at Bodalla.

It is evidently only a question of time when milking by machinery will be a feature of all large daily establishments in the colony. The construction o£ a machine capable of inilkiug a cow without causing injurious after effect* has long been a dream of inventors, a d it would seem that the problem has at last teeu solved. Milkiug machines are now coming into use in Great Britain, the Murchland and the Nicholscn being the inventions which are said to have overcome the difficulties hitherto encountered. Some time ago the Bodalla (N.S.W.) Estate Company, through their manager, Mr L. N. Grieson, imported a 20-cow milking machine, of which Nicholson and Gray, of Stranraer, Scotland, are the makers. This has been set up at Podalln, and it is said to do .its work in a nros' satisfactory manner. Tn& following description of the machiue and its mode cf working has been furnished by Mr Grierson :

"When the machine arvivod I found that a considerable length of £inch piping was required to connect the air pump with ail the cow bails that I intended to milk from. Having a very short supply of this size in stook, I could only fix the maohine tip for four cows until I got a supply ofpipeupfrom Sydney. Tho ma chine gave every satisfaction with four cowa, and, now that I have got the full supply of piping and fixed the machine permanently, it is equally as satisfactory, and I am certain when it conies into general use it will be a great boon to Aus ■ tralian dairy farmers. It takes about an average of 6 minutes per cow, and with a man to work the pump, and with two boys to bail and fix the oups on the teats, a large number of cows can be got through. The machine is worked by an air pump (vacuum), o and it is as near nature's plan (calf-suoking) as can possibly be done by mechanism. When the vacuum gauge registers from 7 to 12 the cows may be coupled, and immediately the milk will begin to flow freely, and after the first or second milking the cows take to it kindly, and stand chewing their cuds the same as if their calves were sucking them. The machine strips the cows cleaner than I expected ; in very few oases after the operation can more than a wine glass full of milk be got by the hand. This being the first machine sent to the colonies, the patentees had not made preparation for exporting. They have been reoeiving so many orders for their machines to supply in Scotland and England that they have had to keep their works going night and day, and at the time they shipped this machine they had no printed instructions for fixing, or even a drawing, and with the machine they only sent a very rough sketch, so we have had to a considerable extent to work in the dark. However, I think we have got it fixed right, at least it works very well. The machines are very simple, easily cleaned, and kept in order, and they can be got in any size, from to milk two cows up to 100; the one we have imported is for from 15 to 20 cows. A man oan work the pump for machines up to .80 oows, but for machines over that size an engine is necessary .