REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

 ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



MILKING MACHINES : EFFECT OF THE MACHINE 

 METHOD OF MILKING UPON THE MILK FLOW„* 



G. A. SMITH AND H. A. HARDING. 



SUMMARY. 



I. — The milking machine is of interest mainly because of the 

 labor problem. Using two machines one man can milk fifty cows. 



2. — This study of the influence of hand and machine methods 

 upon the flow of milk covers a period of over four years and 

 includes 71 lactation periods after eliminating the questionable 

 data. 



3. — The influence of the machine method of milking upon the 

 flow of milk was too small to be measured even when the other 

 factors were eliminated as fully as possible. It was probably 

 responsible for less than i per ct. of the variation in flow under 

 the conditions of this experiment. 



4. — All of the cows milked well with the machine when they 

 were provided with properly fitting teat cups. Two cows which 

 were failures with hand milking were successfully milked by 

 the machine. 



5. — Machine milking has proven practicable. The problem 

 now is to develop the machines along most helpful lines and to 

 learn to handle them most efficiently. 



INTEODUCTION. 



In practically all branches of farming the high price and 

 scarcity of labor have been met hj the use of labor-saving 

 machinery. Hand milking of cows is still the ordinary metliod 

 but the difficulty of getting efficient hand milkers is one of the 

 limiting factors in the development of modern dairying and there 

 is an insistent demand for milking machines. 



Milking by machines is not a new idea. Many types of ma- 

 chines have been tried and pronounced worthless. Accordingly 

 the question is being constantly asked, Are the machines at pres- 

 ent on the market a success ? Manifestly there is no specific 

 answer to such a general question. Automobiles are generally 



*A reprint of Bulletin No. 353, November, 1912; for "Popular Edition," 

 see p. 851. 



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