DAIRY AND SttH IMPROVEMENT MEETINGS. 229 



milking mechanism. After this rinsing the motor and vacuum 

 pump should be stopped and the teat cups and rubber tubes 

 placed in a brine solution composed of nine parts of water and 

 one part common salt. In addition to the rinsing which the 

 milking machines receive at the barn after each milking, ,the 

 teat cups and rubber tubes should be cleaned by hand once a 

 week and the remaining parts of the milkers should be carefully 

 washed each day. The brine solution greatly restricts bacterial 

 growth, is harmless and is not noticeable in the milk if the 

 tubes are rinsed in cold water before using. The use of brine 

 for keeping the tubes free from bacteria is a most important 

 step in milking machine hygiene. It should never be omitted 

 and great care should always be taken to have all the air forced 

 out of the tubes when they are immersed in the brine. If this 

 is not done, some portions of the tubes may be protected from 

 the brine by an air cushion, leaving good conditions for germ 

 growth. Carelessness in this regard wdll cause large fluctua- 

 tions in the bacterial content of the milk. 



Examinations by Dr. Alexander, the Station Veterinarian at 

 Wisconsin, showed that machine milking had no appreciable 

 cfifect upon the physical condition of the cows in the Univer- 

 sity herd, nor did it in any way affect the udder in the majority 

 of animals. It was apparently responsible for some improve- 

 ment in the udders of three of the cows and in two cases possi- 

 bly caused an aggravation of previously noted abnormal condi- 

 tions. The conclusion would seem warranted, therefore, that 

 little is to be feared by adopting machine milking as regards the 

 health or the contenitment of the cows used and that no bad 

 effect on their udders may be looked for, provided the condi- 

 tion of the glands is normal at the outset and the cows are 

 carefully stripped. 



We have so far considered the efficiency of machine milking 

 and whether or not cows can be satisfactorily milked by this 

 method so far as maintaining a normal production is concerned. 

 The economical side of the question will appeal to the practical 

 dairyman, that is, whether or not cows can be milked as cheaply 

 "by this method as by hand. 



The installation of the milking machine in a herd of around 

 thirty cows, will involve an expenditure of about five hundred 

 dollars, if the cost of an engine or other power required for 



