836 



THE GENESEE FAIIMIER. 



MiLKHTG is performed in two ways — stripping and 

 liaiidliiii:. Stripjnng consists in seizing the teat 

 firmly near tlie root between the fiice of tiie tliunib 

 and the side of the fore-finger, tlie length of the 

 teat pnssing through the otlier fingers, and in milk- 

 ing tlie hand passes down the entire length of the 

 t<iat, causing the mili< to flow out of its points in 

 a forcible stream. The action is renewed by again 

 quickly elevating the hand to the root of the teat, 

 ioth hands are employed at the operation, each 

 having hold of a difterent teat, and being moved 

 alternately. The two nearest teats are commonly 

 first milked, and then the two farthest. Handling 

 is done by grasping tiie teat at its root with the 

 .'ore-finger like a hoop, assisted by the thumb, 

 which lies horizontally over the fore-finger, the 

 rest being also seized by the other fingers. Milk 

 i.s drawn by pressing upon the entire length of the 

 teat in altf mate jerks with the entire palm of the 

 liand. Btjth liands being thus emi)loyed, are made 

 to press altern!ite!y, but so quickly following each 

 other that, the alternate streams of milk sound to 

 the ear like one forcible, continued stream. This 

 continued stream is also produced by stripping. 

 Stripping, then, is performed by pressing and pass- 

 ins certain fingers ahmg tlie teat; handling, by the 

 whole iiand doubled, or fist, pressing the teat 

 steadily at one place. Hence the origin of both 

 names. 



Of these two modes, handling is the preferable, 

 since it. is the ijiore natural method — imitating, as 

 lit does, tlie suckinu of the calf. Wiien a calf 

 takes a teat into its month, it makes the tongue 

 and palate by which it seizes it, [)lay upon the teat 

 by alternate pressures or jtnlsations, while retain- 

 ing the teat in the sanae position. It is thus ob- 

 vious that handling is s<^)mewhat like sucking, 

 whereas stripping is not »fc all like it. It is said 

 that stripjiiuK is good for agitating the udder, the 

 agitation of whidi is coiid.ivcive to the witlidrawal 

 . of a large quantity of milk; but there is nothing 

 to prevent tlie agitation of the ndder as much m^ 

 the dairymaid pleases, while hoWing in the other 

 mode. Indeed, a more constant viiimtion could be 

 "kept up in thiit way by tiie vibrationfl of the arms 

 than bv«trippinfr. Stripping by iwiiig an nncDU- 

 st rained pressure on .two .«ides of the teat, is niucli 

 •inure H\n> to pre-s^ ii, uucpially, t,lj'ai; i)y grasping 

 the whole teat in the »>ajm of the l«t>nd; while 

 the friction ocMsioned l)y pa<sinir tlie fiiiget* and 

 thumb firinljr over the.ouieide of the teat, .is more 



likely to cause heat and irritation in it than a 



steady and full grasp of the entire hiitiil. To show 

 tlwit this fiicliuti causes an unpleasant feeling even 

 to the dairymaid, she is obliged to lubricate the 

 teat frequently witli milk, and to wet it at first 

 with water; whereas the other mode requires na 

 such expedients. And as a further proof that 

 stripping is a mode of milking wliicli may give 

 pain to tiie cow, it can not be employed, when the 

 teats are chapped, with bo much ease to the cow 

 as handling. 



The first requisite in the person that milks is, of 

 course, tiie utmost cleanliness. Without this, the 

 milk is uiieiiduruble. The udder should, theretore, 

 be carefully cleaned before the milking commences. 



Milking should be done fust, to draw away the 

 milk as quickly as po.ssible, and it should be con- 

 tinued as long as tliere is a drop of milk to bring 

 away. — Jennings' Cattle and their Diseases. 



CIDER MAEINO. 



In the Hural Annual and Horticultural Direc- 

 tory for 1862 there is a valuable article on " Cider 

 Making," from the pen of 0. N. Bement. A few 

 extracts may prove useful to some of tfie readers 

 of the Genesee Farmer., who have not that number 

 of the liural Annual in their library : 



"The best time to make cider is w^en the fruit 

 is perfectly ripe, even mellow, before it is ground^ 

 and this can only happen late in autumn. As it is 

 know^ to be more ditiicult to manage the fermen- 

 tation of the liquor in warm weather, it would be 

 well to defer making cider until November; if, 

 however, the liquor can be put into a cool cellar 

 after the first fermentation is over, we are of 

 opinion that it might be commenced earlier. The 

 juice of unripe fruit ferments more quickly than 

 that which is ripe and contains more malic acid. 

 Where there is the convenience of a good cel'ar, 

 the diflference of temperature between that and 

 the outward air is greater in moderate warm 

 weather than in November. 



"• The apples should be gathered when dry and 

 perfectly ripe ; place them in an open, airy room ; 

 spread them evenly or lay them in shallow heaps, 

 to let the moisture pass off by evaporation. Afoer 

 parting with tlie mt)isture, the apples become mel- 

 low and fit for grinding, when they should be 

 [)icked by hand, (not scooped, as is generally done,) 

 and all decayed or decaying fruit rejected. lieduce 

 them either by crushing or grinding, for which 

 purpose we prefer the grater mill, :us it does not 

 break the seeds. There is a difierence of opinion 

 respecting the time tiie pomace should remain in 

 the vat Ixitore it is put in the i)ress. If it is pressed 

 immediately after grinding, there will be a de- 

 ficiency of richness and color in the cider; if kept 

 too long, the acetous fermentation will take place 

 before the vinous is completed. To give color to 

 the cider, from twelve to twenty-f )ur hours ex- 

 posure to the atmosphere is recommended ; the 

 warmer tlie weather, however, the shorter the 

 time. Stir up the pomace until it becomes red 

 from the action of the air; then press out the 

 juice slowly, and strain through a coar.-e cloth or 

 a tine h;iir seive, (which is much better than straw, 

 so geuerully used lor this ^jurpote,) and put into 



