CARE OF MILK ON THE FARM 



325 



In some instances, however, the man in charge of the dairy 

 does not attempt to understand the operation of the machine, 

 but depends altogether on hired labor to do the milking. Under 

 such circumstances, the mechanical milker does not make the 

 owner any less dependent upon hired labor, and if, upon install- 

 ing, the owner has reduced the number of milkers, the machine 

 may tend to make 

 the dair>^nan even 

 more dependent 

 upon his employ- 

 ees than if he 

 carried the usual 

 number of milk- 

 ers and milked by 

 hand. 



Stripping^ after 

 milking. — The 

 cow with a normal 

 udder and teats of 

 uniform size can 

 be most success- 

 fully milked with 

 the machines. It 

 is necessary, how- 

 ever, to strip 

 every cow after 

 milking with the 

 machine. By 

 stripping is 

 meant the draw- 

 ing of the last bit 

 of milk from the 

 udder. This is 

 best done bv milk- 



FiG. 172. — A milking machine ready for business.- 

 Courtesy of College of AgricuViure, Cornell. 



ing with the hand in the usual Avay rather than by drawing the 

 teat between the thumb and forefinger, as the word stripping 

 implies. The stripping should be done as soon after removing 

 the teat cups as possible. Whether the machine gets all the milk 

 or not, stripping should not be neglected, for it enables the 

 operator not only to be sure that all milk has been drawn, but 

 also to come in contact with every teat in the herd at each 

 milking, so that any abnormal condition of the udder or teat may 

 be detected at once. 



