ON AGRICULTURE TO DENMARK 96 



made partly with cows in our University herd, partly with cows in 

 twelve different Wisconsin dairy herds. The aim in all cases was 

 to ascertain the gain in the production of milk and butter fat 

 obtained by a system of manipulation of the udder after the 

 regular milking was finished (Hagelund's method); where the 

 regular milker did not milk clean, the gain obtained by clean 

 milking, together with manipulation of the udder, was ascertained. 



"II. In our University herd the average daily production of 

 milk from twenty-four cows was increased by 4*5 per cent, by 

 means of the manipulation method, and the production of fat was 

 increased by 9*2 per cent. As the result of a milking experiment 

 conducted for four weeks, the average gain in milk being one 

 pound, and in fat "09 pound per head per day. 



" III. A similar average increase in production was obtained for 

 the twelve dairy herds tested, viz., a gain of r08 pounds in the 

 daily production of milk per cow and *! pound of fat. The 

 results obtained in this investigation, extending over a period of 

 four months, with cows in all stages of lactation, indicate that 

 this gain is maintained through the whole period of lactation. An 

 increase in the daily production of butter fat per cow, of one-tenth 

 of a pound, for the million cows in the State, would mean an 

 annual gain of 30,000,000 pounds of butter fat if the cows give 

 milk 300 days in the year ; the value of this increase to the dairy 

 industry of the State would be about $6,000,000 = (£1,250,000 

 sterling), on the basis of a valuation of 20 cents, a pound for butter 

 fat, a figure considerably below average prices. 



" IV. The largest amount of milk obtained from a cow by the 

 manipulation method, after the regular milking was done, was 5 "5 

 pounds per day, and the lowest "20 pounds. The corresponding 

 figures for fat production was "64 and "02 pounds. 



" V. The greater portions of the gains obtained came through 

 lack of care on the part of the regular milker, as the cows were 

 not milked perfectly clean. But even in herds, where the milkers 

 did their work well, there were always one or more cows which 

 gave an increase of nearly a pound of milk and one-tenth of a 

 pound of butter fat by the manipulation method. 



*' VI. The milk obtained by means of the manipulation method 

 is similar in composition to that of ' strippings ' ; on the average 

 for all herds it contained 10*32 per cent, fat, and was found to be 

 about two and a half times richer than ordinary milk. The 

 highest per cent, of fat found in the after-milking from any one 

 cow was 23*0 per cent., and from any herd 14*41 per cent. 



"VII. The difference in the work done by different milkers is 

 brought out strongly by the results of the work done. In several 

 cases one milker did his work so much better than the others in 

 the same herd as to be worth nearly $10.00 = (41s. 8d. sterling) a 

 month more to the owner on account of the larger yields of milk 

 and fat which he obtained from the cows milked by him. 



" VIII. The results obtained in this investigation suggest that a 

 thorough system of milking is an essential and foundation re- 

 quirement in successful dairying. For, apart from directly 



