THE DAIRY HERD 69 



so unfavorably upon the production of milk and butterfat. 

 Especially disastrous are the effects of abuses admin- 

 istered just previous to or during milking. Yet how fre- 

 quently are dogs allowed to chase the cows to the stable, 

 and how often are attendants seen with clubs which they 

 use as aids in getting the cows into their proper places ! 

 In addition, the language and boisterousness that accom- 

 panies all this leaves no doubt that the animals are 

 treated as offending brutes, instead of willing, sensitive 

 mothers who are scarcely any less sensitive to harsh 

 words than are human mothers. Make pets out of your 

 cows by kind treatment, for kindness is never without 

 compensation, no matter how, when or where applied. 



Elaboration of Milk During Milking, If, in addi- 

 tion to what has been said, it will be remembered that 

 the larger portion of the milk is secreted during the 

 process of milking, the importance of giving a cow the 

 very best care and treatment at this time will be fully 

 apparent. Furthermore, the fact that most of the milk- 

 is formed during milking, materially assists in explaining 

 why different milkers secure such varying quantities of 

 milk and butterfat from the same cow. 



Effect of Change of Milkers, From what has been 

 said it is easily seen that frequent changes of milkers are 

 certain to react unfavorably upon the milk and butterfat 

 production. A cow that has become thoroughly accus- 

 tomed to a certain milker will feel restless and uneasy 

 with a new milker, which is nowhere more plainly indi- 

 cated than on the milk sheet. A change of milkers, 

 furthermore, always means a change in the manner of 

 milking, and, therefore, a change in the stimulation of 

 the udder. Since the stimulation of the udder by the 

 milker is the cause of milk secretion, it is evident that 



