I5O PROFITABLE DAIRYING 



A strip three inches wide and one or more inches 

 thick should be firmly nailed across the front end 

 of the stool to hold the legs. The piece under the 

 front of the seat should not be less than two inches 

 thick, as it strengthens the stool and gives it firmness. 

 A piece should be nailed across the front of the milk- 

 ing board to prevent the pail slipping off. The whole 

 should be made of planed lumber and painted. It is 

 then much easier to keep it clean, and it becomes a 

 creditable adjunct to a well-kept stable. 



A few extra stools should be provided with the 

 pail board an inch or two lower than the regular 

 stools. These are useful in milking short-legged 

 cows. When the attendant is seated on one of these 

 stools, with his knee against the cow's leg, it is diffi- 

 cult for her to get her foot into the pail. These 

 stools bring the pail close to the udder in a place 

 convenient for milking. They save much spattering 

 and thus conduce toward cleanliness. Stools must 

 never become dirty. They should have a regular 

 place in the stable, and the milkers must be made 

 to keep them there. If a stool is found to be 

 giving out, it should be promptly repaired or a new 

 one put in its place. Milkers should never be al- 

 lowed to break up stools by careless use. 



THE BABCOCK TEST 



The Babcock test is an instrument that no dairy- 

 man can afford to be without. In former times 

 the only way by which a farmer could ascertain the 

 value of an individual cow was to raise* and churn 

 her cream separately. This was inconvenient and 

 burdensome. The average farmer preferred to take 



