84 DAIRY FARMING 



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trouble from tying at any later time. Before freshening, 

 the heifer should be tied for a month or more in the stall 

 where she is to stand when in milk. A careful man should 

 handle her and take care not to excite her. It is especially 

 necessary to use patience and care when she is first milked. 

 64. Methods of Milking. There is a great difference in 

 the efficiency of milkers. One man may get 20 per cent more 

 milk than another from the same cow. A careless milker 

 may dry up a cow within a few months while a good milker 

 may keep up the milk flow for the entire year. Men who 

 care for. cows should always move among them quietly and 

 not startle them by sudden movements or loud talking. 

 The cow cannot control the secretion of milk by her will 

 but it may be affected by excitement. Anything unusual, 

 such as the presence of a dog or a stranger at milking time, 

 will cause some cows to give less milk. Changing milkers is 

 likely ^o result in a loss of milk for a few milkings, but if 

 the new milker be equally proficient the cow will soon return 

 to the usual amount. However, the milkers should be 

 changed as little as possible. The milking should be done 

 quickly and quietly. If the cow is accustomed to eating 

 grain while being milked, she will not do well without having 

 it every time. She can easily become accustomed to being 

 milked either before or after eating, but always should be 

 treated in the same manner. Care should be taken to get 

 all the strippings, since while the first milk drawn may con- 

 tain as low as 1 per cent of fat, the last contains from 6 to 9 

 per cent. The teats should always be dry when milked. 

 Wetting the teats is all too common but it is a filthy practice. 

 A small amount of vaseline rubbed on the hands serves 

 the same purpose as wetting the teats and is not at all 

 objectionable. 



