CAN COWS BE EDUCATED?

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 3, 21 April 1894, Page 11

CAN COWS BE EDUCATED?

Is there such a thing as educating cows to be rapid milkers ? And can ;3,11 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. He claimed that it -was this 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 no stripping. The last part of the milk •was sometimes drawn by pressing from the upper part,, of the udder downwards, upon first one. side of the adder and then, the other, with one .hand, dravr ing 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 wfere always milked thus. That if the milker dawdled over his work, the cows would get in the habit of giving down stheir 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 jteat-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 ?- —American Paper.