EFFECT OF CARELESS MILKING. 147 



milker stop or rise during the process of milking, with- 

 out leading the cow more or less to withhold her milk. 

 The utmost care should be taken to strip to the last drop, 

 and to do it rapidly, and not in a slow and negligent 

 manner, which is sure to have its effect on the yield of 

 the cow. If any milk is left, it is reabsorbed into the 

 system, or else becomes caked, and diminishes the tend- 

 ency to secrete a full quantity afterwards. Milking as 

 dry as possible is especially necessary with young cows 

 with their first calf, as the mode of milking, and the 

 length of time to which they can be made to hold out, 

 will have very much to do with their milking qualities 

 as long as they live. 



At the age of two or three years the milky glands 

 have not become fully developed, and their largest 

 development will depend very greatly upon the man- 

 agement after the first calf. Cows should have, 

 therefore, the most milk-producing food ; be treated 

 with constant gentleness ; never struck, or spoken 

 harshly to, but coaxed and caressed ; and in ninety-nine 

 cases out of a hundred they will grow up gentle and 

 quiet. But harshness is worse than useless. Nothing 

 does so much to dry a cow up, especially a young cow. 



The longer the young cow, with her first and sec- 

 ond calf, can be made to hold out, the more surely 

 will this habit be fixed upon her. Stop milking her 

 four months before the next calf, and it will be dif- 

 ficult to make her hold out to within four or six 

 weeks of the time of calving afterwards. Induce her, 

 if possible, by moist and succulent food, and by care- 

 ful milking, to hold out even up to the time of calv- 

 ing, if you desire to milk her so long, and this habit 

 will be likely to be fixed upon her for life. But do 

 not expect to obtain the full yield of a cow the first 

 year after calving. Some of the very best cows are 



