FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 October 1916, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY.

MILK AND MILK)MAKING. ' VALUABLE INFORMATION. It is good for a vendor of any parti- ' lar commodity to know all there is to ■ know about the article he sells. The • a\«age dairyman, however, knows very little of the process of milk-making, as performed by her Majesty the Cow. He will find itlmmenseiy to his advan- ' tage to study closely and ponder deeply the following notes from Penlington's Science of Dairying:— BLOOD SUPPLY OF THE UDDER. The material from which milk is made is originally obtained from the food which is digested in the alimentary eanal. It enters the blood stream, and is conveyed to the uddei by a large blood vessel called the mammary artery. On noaring the udder this artery divides and subdivides into many branches, which .form a fine network of capillaries all through the udder. • The eontents of these capillaries are then collected into large veins, through which the blood is carried tack to the heart. These veins are called milk-veins; although, of course, they contain blood, not milk. They * can easily be felt by passing the hand along the cow's body slightly forward of the adder. In good dairy cows these veins are very prominent. The size of the milk-veins is an indication regarding the amount of blood which is supplied to the udder, and so large veins are a good sign. If we follow the milk veins as far forward as possible, we find that they suddenly disappear into openings in the body wall, which can be easily felt with the finger. These openings are known as the "milk wells" or "milk fountains." There should be one of these milk wells for each branch of the milk veins. To a certain extent they regulate the capacity of the veins, and so large openings are very desirable. If too small, they will restrict the flow of bloud and consequently diminish the production of milk. STRUCTURE OF THE UDDER AND FORMATION OF MILK The udder is a bag of tissue which hangs beneath the hind part of the cow's body. Its internal structure is very complex. The greater part of the substance of the udder consists of a soft, spongy, greyish-pink mass, which is made up of muscle, blood vessels, nerves and fat. Above each of the teats, which are generally four in number, 'ita milk reservoir. As the name indicates, the milk reservoirs "are intended to contain the milk which is made in the other parts of the udder. Each reservoir has a capacity of about one pint. A vertical partition runs lengthwise, from back to -front, .through the udder, and divides it into two distinct and similar parts, each of which is called a milk gland. These milk glands have a very complex structure. Small blood vessels and capillaries carry blood through every part of the organ, and together with them are to be found large numbers of nerves, which regulate the flow of milk and control the formation of milk. The remaining substance of the milk glands "consists chiefly of a large number of small round bags known as gland lobules. These gland lobules are arranged very much like grapes upon a stalk. Corresponding to the main stalk there is a narrow tube known as the milk duet. At intervals along thjg main milk duct smaller tube; branch out, and at the end of each of these branches we find a round gland lobule. (Do not eonfuss the word "lobule" with ''globule.") When examined under the microscope the inside of each gland lobule is found to be lined with a large number of small bodies called alveoli. They are round at one end, and taper somewhat to a neck at the other. These alveoli are very small, tut they are most important, for it is in them that thc< milk is formed, In some peculiar way which is not quite understood at present the alveoli take from the blood and lymph those substances of which milk is composed, and pass them through the neck of the lobule into the branch milk duct. The milk enters the, main duct and then runs down into the rcser voir, where it remains until the cow is milked. From the bottom of each reservoir a tube leads down through the teat beneath, but the milk is prevented from escaping by rings of muscle around the tube. Muscles of this type which keep a tube closed when they are contracted are called sphincter muscles. One of them is found at the top of each teat and a more powerful one at the bottom. 1 Other sphinccr .muscles, but not so well developed, are found guarding the mouths of the ducts which convey milk from the gland lobules into the reservoir. The cow can control these muscles to a very considerable extent, and if in a bad humor at milking time she will cause thein to contract, and so hold back the milk. If only for this reason cows should be kindly treated. Some animals are naturally difficult to milk, hut many more have been made so by harsh treatment. MILK IS MADE DURING MILKING. The reader may have wondered how it is that a cow can give ten quarts or more at a milking when the total capacity of the milk reservoirs is only about two quarts. The reason for this apparent impossibility is quite simple—the greater part of the milk is made during milking. The milk waiting in the reservoirs is small in quantity and poor in quality. The largest and richest portion is manufactured during the actual process of milking. Pressing the teats excites the network of nerves in the milk glands, and so causes the alveoli to perform their work with greatly increased vigor; drops of rich milk trickle down the milk duets into the reservoirs. Here, again, is a most important reason for treating the cow kindly, especially at milking time. Not only can sho make herself difficult to milk by contracting the sphincter muscles of the teats, but she has also a good deal of power over the formation of the milk in the gland lobules. Consequently, if put in a bad" temper by unkindncss she. will retaliate by restraining the action of the milkforming alveoli, and so cause the farmer to lose much of the most valuable part of the milk. Any little consideration which will give the cows a feeling of greater contentment during the milking is well worth while. If possible they should be milked in the same place, in the same order, and by the same person each day. A little clean hay to chew during milking helps to produce contentment. The milking should be done gently, but firmly and thoroughly. Sore teats should be respected. A little vaseline rubbed on them will make milking easier and more pleasant, both for cow and for milker. Milking by pulling the teats between finger and thumb is entirely wrong. The hand should bo closed oyer the teat, -beginning at the

Itop and pressing the teat against the •ball of the thumb. Complete "stripping" is very important. If a cow is only halfmilked she will reduce her milk yield accordingly. Thorough milking develops the udder and helps to maintain a large milk yield. A proposal made by Dr. H. M. levinge, jf Northern Wairoa.'to produce a supply of the valuable fertilising agent, potash, from sawmill waste has been before the Auckland Provincial Industrial Association for some time. The New Zealand Herald says that the suggestion has been made by Dr. Levinge in view of the cessation of 'imports of potash, the supply of which has in the past been obtained almost solely from Germany. Reports in regard to the practicability of the proposal have been received from several quarters.