274 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



of considerable experience with milking machines, from which the author draws 

 the following conclusions : 



" In the comparative tests m^ide of nand and machine milking for short 

 periods the results were in favor of hand milking in all tests except one. 



" When the machine was compared with inexperienced hand milking there 

 was not so much difference between the results got from hand and machine 

 milking, showing that under certain circumstances the machine might be equal 

 to hand milking for at least a short period of time. 



" The general tendency was for the cows to go dry sooner than they were 

 accustomed to do with hand milking. This was more particularly the case with 

 the older cows. However, this is a point not easily solved, as cows vary in 

 this respect from year to year. 



" Some of our young cows have given very good results with, the machine, 

 indicating that it may be possil)le to breed and train cows which will give fairly 

 good results under this system of milking, though they are not likely to be so 

 good as if trained to hand milking. 



" Special care needs to be exercised in the cleaning of the machine, otherwise 

 the milk is liable to be tainted. Simply sucking water through the parts is not 

 suHicient. All parts of the machine that come in contact with the milk must 

 l)e thoroughly scalded or steamed, at least once a week, and for good results 

 this should be done daily. 



" On average farms, where 10 to 2^* cows are kept, we do not believe that it 

 would pay to install a milking machine at present. On farms where .W to 100 

 or more cows are kept, and where labor is very expensive and difficult to get, 

 and where the owner of the cows is not so particular about maximum yields 

 from individual cows, the milking machine is worthy of careful consideration. 

 However, we do not consider the machines at present on the market as any- 

 where near perfection, and we look for great in)i)rovement in them during the 

 next few years." 



The second part, by I'rofessor Edwards, gives the results of bacteriological 

 tests of machine-drawn and hand-drawn milk. When strict sanitary precau- 

 tions were observed, milk obtained in the 2 ways showed practically the same 

 average bacterial content. 



The effect of freezing milk on creaming and churning and upon the qual- 

 ity of the butter, J. L. Hills and E. L. Kikby (Vvniioiit Sta. Rpt. 1906. />/>. 

 S37-,i,3fi). — In experimental work at the station the skinnniug of milk was not 

 affected by freezing when the milk was properly warmed before running through 

 (he sepai-ator. The ripeniug of cream and the completeness of churning were 

 also unaffected by freezing. A slight difference in the (piality of butter made 

 from frozen and normal milk was considered almost negligiltle. 



Report of Swedish butter exhibits, 1906 (Meddcl. K. Landthr. Sti/i: 

 [Sivcdcnl. linn, Ao. 1 (l.iO). pp. 1-S7). — The report contains the usual informa- 

 tion as to the examinations and scorings of Swedish export butter, conducted 

 by a connnittee of the Swedish agricultural department during 190G. 



During the year, 552 different creameries tooli part in the exhibits, the total 

 numb;^r of tubs of butter scored being 2.2.30. These were in nearly all cases ex- 

 amined for water content, refractive index, and volatile fatty acids in the Imtter 

 fat. The percentage of water in the butter ranged between 9.4 and 19 per cent 

 for the individual tubs, and between ll.G and lO.G per cent, an average of 1.'>.5 per 

 cent, for the different creameries. The refractive index of the butter fat varied 

 from 48.2 to 54..3, about 90 per cent falling between 50 and 53. The Keichert 

 number ranged between 20.G in the summer and 32.6 in the winter, with averages 

 of .30.1 cc. for the summer, 30.5 for the fall, and 30.9 for the winter series. 

 About 90 per cent of the creameries pasteurized their milk or cream. Pure 

 cultures were qsed exclusively by 55 per ceat of tlae creameries, at times by 18 



