218 



THE DAIRYMAN S MANUAL. 



iiig. But if tins excitation of the glands by the act of 

 milking could he made continuous, and one should be 

 always milking, it might be supposed more milk would 

 be procured than by separate milkings. But this would 

 be a wholly mistaken calculation, for the too frequent 

 milking of a cow will tend to lessen the product of milk 

 and a cow may be dried off in this way, the too copious 

 secretion tending to exhaust the action of the glands by 

 injurious reaction. The glands need a period of rest, as 

 all active and nervous tissue does, to recuperate and gain 

 resources for renewed action. Some persons think this 

 is a new thing altogether ; but there is nothing new 

 under the sun, and this is as old. as a century at least. 

 For in the old magazine entitled *^ Annals of Agricul- 

 ture," for 1789, the following statement was given of a 

 trial of this kind with two, three, and four milkings in 

 the day: 



MAT 21, 1789. I OCTOBER 22, 1789. 



Pl7its.\ Pints. 



First milking 9i First milking 11 



Second milking 13 Second milking 6 



Total... 22i 



MAT 22. 



First milking. 13 



Second milking 8 



Third milking. 5 



Total... -...26 



MAT 28. 



First milking 12 



Second milking 7 



Third milking... 6 



Fourth milking 1 



Total 17 



OCTOBER 23. 



First milking 11 



Second milking 3 



Third milking 3 



Total 17 



OCTOBER 24. 



First milking 10 



Second milking li 



Third milking li 



Fourth milking 3 



Total 26 Total 16 



- Certainly this proves nothing, or, if anything, that 

 there was a loss as well as a gain, and the long night's 

 interval is never taken into account. If a little more 

 milk was thus gained from the cow, more feed must be 

 given, and the labor required would make the practice 

 too costly or wholly impossible in a business dairy. 



