THE "L.K.G." MILKER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 7 June 1907, Page 3

THE "L.K.G." MILKER.

A public -denionstraiion of the La.v-reiicc-Kennedy-Gillies milking machine was given at Mr C. lloncyheUl's Bench farm at Tataraimaka on Wednesday afternoon. The machines are set up in > a commodious si.xtrcn-bail shell, with l " concrete lloor and trap-doors for the easy egress of the cows as they are ; milked. Power is derived from a walir- ._ wheel. Mr lloncylield has had a fours cow plant installed since October last. £ and is highly pleased with it, after Rub- J milting it to every possible icst. He | I has demonstrated' tnal the hulter-fat' J (est and the quantity of milk are lully , ! mainiained by the use of the machines, ■ and has been tinab.e to discover any ■ ■ iil-cll'crls upon the cows. They gave ; no trouble from tile '.start. and scni'-iL to take no notice of the change (roiii j hanil-milkim; 10 machine milking. Nei- i therhas he found the slightest dillicnlty | in keeping the machines clean, nor i:i.l ]

any trouble with ill" keeping qualities of the milk. Although the pist season was very hot, he had not a single drop of sour or bad milk. Thus lie lias n?t been troubled with any of those things that are urged against the adoption of mechanical milking. At this denionstraiion forty cows were milked, and villi tic cleaning up the whole op::-.1-tion did not occupy an hour. Prior to the installation Mr lloncylield employed four or live men in Hie Hush of llio seaI son, but with the machine he and one assistant, got through the work without dilliciilty. The varum* points about about the machine were closely not:il, | and the '"L.K.O." machines undoubt'd'y advanced greatly in their estimation. Mr Robertson, manager in New Plymouth for Messrs ,1. li. MacEwau and Co., Tarauaki agents, pointed out tint it was utterly impossible to draw blood, over-milk, or Jo injury of any kind, owing to iln- constant admission of air into the cups by the Gillies patent, and that the action exactly imitated that of ' the calf, having a combination of pressure and suction while admitting air to the teats.

(Published by arrangement.) A representative, of the "L.K-G.,'' on being interviewed, stated that on the aist January last 544 machines were actually in use in New Zealand. In Australia over 1300 machines arc working, while iu a letter received by the la-t mail from the American agents of the

'•L.K.1.:." advises that over 1700 midlines have been sold to date. In Great Britain the progress has l>cen much slower, but recent newspaper reports show that in Scotland especially, ihe farming community is fast gaining confidence through the practical results that arc being obtained. These results have only been secured after live years' patient waiting until the public confidence had been completely won over. It will still be fresh in the memory of many Taranaki farmers' that the Thistle, Brooksjde, and even more recent machines, including the original "Lawrence-Kennedy," resulted in disastrous failure. All these machines, and uto many others before them, wore placed on the market with perfect coalidence by their inventors. The results show how easily even the inventor can be deceived. There, is only one reliable method of finding out if a milking machine is a complete success,'and that is by putting them into the hands of a number of practical fanners who inteid to use the machines to help them earn their living. If after watching t.ie effects on the cows, and the bank count, for two full seasons, these m.'n state that the machine is a success, then some reliable evidence has hc-'ll secured.

Xumhers of previous machines appeared to work satisfactorily for a few months, but in every instance the final result was complete failure. A knowledge of these facts \va> responsible for the cautious policy adopted when introducing the "L.K.G." to New Zealand over live years ago. Until the machines had been used by a number of funnels for close on four seasons, the agents did not feel justified in drawing the attention of the public to the results achieved. Had the results been the same as with every previous machine, the "L.KG." would have ijuietly sunk out of sight, and no one except the agents would have been any the worse. However, Gillies' patents turned out to be the one chance in a thou-and which succeeds, and after four years' use ihe "L.K.G." proved conclusively to the public, before they were asked to buy, that the problem of milking by macniner.v had been solved. The secret of the "L.K.G.'s" mccess is securely covered by patent rigats. consequently cannot lie used by other inventors. The "L.K.G." can therefore claim to be iho first machine which has established in the public mind the possibility of successful mechanical milking. 80 completely has this confidence been established that the public are apt to overlook Hie fact that as yet the "L.K.G." is THE machine that has been thoroughly tested by practical u>e, Owing to incomplete knowledge of the principles of milking by Miction many people "are apt to get wroifg impressions on many points. Over milking is looked upon as the great danger to be. overcome. If this were all, it would smely he practicable to keep a suliiciently watch and remove Uic. cups by linnil as soon as the How stops. This disadvantage in early machines would not have been sufficient to condemn their use. The real facts are that all machines prior to the "L.K.G" injured the cows while tin* milk \v.\s actually being drawn, and it was to overcome" this defect that Gillies adopted Iho same system as the calf, namely, to combine suction with pressure while at the same time admitting sufficient air to enable the machine to "swallow" the milk, and also relieve the stress on the teats.

The calf must draw its breath, and to also must the milking machine, otherwise "dead'' suction is the result. Uy inletting air alongside the teats there is no possible chance of injury to the cow during milking at any time, even if the eups were left on indefinitely. The cow is protected automntieiUTy from tiic moment the cups are applied. Tiie amount of vacuum shown on 'lie iS.iugo is iil-o misleading. Whereas i.lv.gauge near the "Jj.K.<!.' I>ump shows IS inches, the vacuum in the cup on Hie teats alternates from ]."> to ."> et least •!."> tiling per minute. The high suction oil ill - slum' i- necessary to pvvent ihe air 'tint, goes' in from breaking down the vacuum on the tots altogether. it is also erroneously believed that if a low vacuum is used to keep the cups in position that by using a higher vacuum between the inflation and the m<'tal cup an advantage is secured. The actual fuels are tint the amount of squeeze depends entirely on the amount of vacuum that is inside the eup. Xo mailer how high the vacuum may b l ' between the inflation and the cup it can only serve the purpose of drawing back the, inliafion and redwing Ihe Sipieez;. in place of increasing

UH lliv \mw\-' I ""I imtliii!: r.ll vonr (•""> in '< < '■ lh '' "T-'-K- l: . ,: employs hvn. 1' ■ ere pulsates as inav lie l'oi|iiii;'.i. If only "lie |or were used fur the whole shed ami anvihiiiL' unit wroiijr with it, the , n-ih-'c milkiii"- wmiH sl»|i. whereas ui'.li Ihr "1,.K.(i." if 011>' pillsllor -Inps. 111,, others din >liH complete lll«- v.'orkeivn if it docs lake a little lousier lime. U is pleasant to record that as a icsuli of 1 lie public (.•iinlidi'iieo in tln'•|,.K.<l.' orders are coiiiiiiii i" vf.-y vapidly, and already more machines arc nil order fur 111" ou-niiij; reason than I In. total in-talled (liiviii- the pas! season. liilemlinj,' purchasers will he w.'ll advised tu order early if disappointin nit is to .he uvuiJcd..