84 PROFITABLE DAIRYING 



less, and there will be a corresponding falling off in 

 the flow. The same sequence of milking should be 

 followed each day, so that each cow will know when 

 her turn comes. Attendants have probably noticed 

 that when they sit down to milk one cow the udder 

 of the next one will begin to fill, and milk will often 

 begin to flow from her teats before they get to her. 

 If she is not milked in her order she will manifest 

 her displeasure by her nervous actions, indicating 

 disappointment. The first few streams of milk from 

 each teat should not be put in the pail. Bacteria 

 gather in the end of the teats between milkings. 

 These in the milk will increase with great rapidity, 

 often seriously injuring its quality for butter and 

 cheese. As soon as drawn the milk should be re- 

 moved from the odors of the stable. There is noth- 

 ing that will more readily absorb noxious odors than 

 cooling milk. 



The cow is a creature of habit. If regularly fed 

 before milking she will, when this order is changed, 

 be restless and often refuse to give down her milk. 

 It is better to feed after milking. If silage, at all 

 defective, be fed before milking the odor is likely to 

 appear in the milk. Odors from food reach the 

 milk in an incredibly short space of time. Two min- 

 utes will serve to take the odors of food to the udder 

 and milk-pail. If fed after milking, silage will not, 

 unless very bad, taint the milk. Milking should be 

 done at periods as near twelve hours apart as prac- 

 ticable, and at the same hours each day. 



After the cow has fed and lain down she should 

 not be disturbed more than can be helped. Good, 

 comfortable bedding, such as barn-floor litter, chaff, 



