How Fast to Milk.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 170, 18 September 1886, Page 1

How Fast to Milk.

Rapid milking is an advantage, if it is done without hurting or irritating the cow, and 3he is milked clean. If not milked in a reasonable time the cow refuses to "give down." ' If made to feel comfortable, she stands and "pours out" the milk. The rapid milker has the advantage. Hovr long ought it to take to milk a cow? Ordinarily about six: minutes. A good milker, with good cows, having no impediment in the way of rapid milking, ought to milk ten cows in an hour. Some cannot n4)k over eight, while others can milk twelve. We are told by Mr Chevallier, of Aspal, Suffolk, England, that "a dairymaid usually milks seven to eight cows in an hour ; but Mr Gadd, of Little Stoneham, had a maid that milked, for a wager, thirty cows ia three hours, a person following her to see that she milked them clean." Thia is possible, but much more difficult than milking ten cows in a single hour. It ia tiresome work for the hands, and the maid's hands must have been very muscular and strong if they did not ache severely before she got through. But a good deal depends upon being used to the exercise. One not used to it could not milk one cow without making the hands very tired and weak ; out one in the habit of milking regularly does not much mind milking ten or a dozen as fast as he can get at them. Anent this milking business appears an amusing corresponds noe in the London Live >tocL Journal, from Mr Gilbert Elliott, of Woodbou*e, Kingsbridge, Devon. He says that ance ISB4 he has made a profit of £400 a year under what we would' think very discouraging circumstances He is discouraged, and proposes to leave, because the local decalogue rends j "Thou shalt take the milk from no more than four cows in one hour ; so shall there be time for man and beast ; and if he (the coav) beant stripped then, he's a bad un, and unworthy of the wash dirt from off the hands that paddle in bis milk." This is rigidly, vexingly adhered to ; and" we are assured that his servants had never heard of a churn when he went there. He says: "Milk is always pc-ilded to facilitate the knocking of creiim into butter toith the naked hand. Sometimes in cool weather thia preparation is nice to eat, even a week alter it was made. Afterwards, notwithstanding tihat it generally contains more than an ouncei of salt to the pound', and about as much dirt, it is not as pleasantly eatable as good pomatum, I dare say, might be, if one were very hungry." But no innovation h tole ,rated. Suggest inviting among them some dairy -professor, and they ''reply: "Oi beanc going- to have a man down from London to learn me my business. What I know I knows, and "what I 'don't know I don't want to. know." This is the dis- v comaging ultimatum. •' ' • "But, ".he adds, "perhaps the' man on the other side of the water can get his cows milked at better speed 1 than four in the hour ; and milk yiera may not be used to wash hands in." ' -