THE DAIRY QUESTION — OLD STYLE. 229 



While the calf is very young it is allowed full control 

 of three of the teats ; when it is two months old, if strong 

 and healthy, two teats are enough ; as it grows still older, 

 one teat only is given up to it ; and at last, when the calf 

 is five or six mouths old and has become as expert a grazer 

 as its mother, it has no need of any milk at all. 



But Avoe be to him who should seek to separate it from 

 its mother, hoping to get all the milk himself! The result 

 would be disastrous. 



We have already seen how nearly the native Florida cow 

 has gone back to its natural or wild state, and in this state 

 the milk never "comes" until the teats are pulled upon 

 by the calf; hence the cow persistently holds back her 

 milk till her offspring draws it down, and it is very rarely 

 that she can be induced to do otherW'ise, So long as the 

 milking continues, the calf must be allowed to pull for a 

 few moments on one teat at least, even if it should be a 

 year or more old, as often happens. 



Of course this makes the process of milking rather an 

 arduous one, for the older and stronger the en If becomes, 

 the more impatient is it of any restriction placed upon its 

 raid on the milk-bag ; the moment the calf ranges along- 

 side of its mother, the milker must be ready to grasp the 

 teats not intended for its use, and to hold them until the 

 milk is fairly down. Very often it comes slowly, and then 

 terrific is the bombardment the impatient offspring admin- 

 isters to its usually gentle mother; its violence and fre- 

 quency is apt to repeatedly jerk the reserved teats aw^ay 

 from the milker's hand, and, if not recovered on the in- 

 stant, ' ' presto ! change ! " instead of a full teat there is an 

 empty one ! 



Not only so, but unless the milker is wise enough to go 

 down on one knee and make a brace for the cow^ either 

 with his head, or by placing his hand on her side and his 



