STRIPPING COWS.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 304, 5 September 1929, Page 6

STRIPPING COWS.

MUCH-DEBATED POINT IN AMERICA. Dairymen would scarcely think that there should ba any difference of opinion about the wisdom of stripping

machine-milked cows. However, -n America it is a much debated question, and the U.S.A. Bureau of Dairy Industry is carrying out an experiment to determine the advisability of the practice. The results of the work

done so far wou.d indicate that if a machine is properly operated and the udder manipulated especially during the last stages of milking, stripping Is unnecessary. When the experi- 1 irent first started considerable milk was left in the udder, but within less than a week’s time the cows were giv- j ing as much milk as before the ex- . periment started. The manipulation of the udder when the cow is nearly j milked is an important factor. It ! not only assists in getting all the | milk in the udder, but the operator | has an opportunity to find out whe- i ther each quarter is properly milked , and whether any congestion exists in j any quarter. To those who have not , followed this system of operating a milking machine it is undoubtedly bet- j ter to strip. However, a herd tester ’ attached to the Michigan State College gives his practical experience in i the institution’s bu'letin, which agrees , with that in this Dominion. “ Sereval j dairymen in part of Michigan area ! using milking machines claimed that | they did not need to strip their cows I because the machines milked dry j enough. Recently I weighed 15 pounds of strippings, per day, from j a herd of 13 cows which had been j machine milked. This amount of milk 1 is quite low for that amount of cows, j I tested a sample of these strippings j and found it to contain 8.6 per cent. , butterfat. Using the 15 pounds as an average, it would amount to 465!b5. of milk for the month containing 40 i lbs. of butterfat. The prices of 8 6 per cent, milk in this locality would be 21s a hundred. Therefore the strippings form this herd of 13 cows would be worth £4 15s a month. The moral is: Strip your cows.”