72 DAIRY FARMING 



part in the milk and butterfat production of cows. The 

 following data secured by H. B. Curler from his own 

 herd fully illustrate the importance of a good milker. As 

 a result of two winters' tests, Mr. Curler found that 

 the cows milked by the poorest milker had fallen off 9.5 

 pounds per head in three months, while the shrinkage 

 of the cows milked by the best milker during the same 

 period was only 1.88 pounds per head, a difference at 

 the end of three months of 7.62 pounds of milk per cow 

 daily in favor of the best milker. This fully explains 

 why some milkers are cheap at $40 per month, while 

 others are really expensive at less than half this amount. 



The Milk Scales and Babcock Tester as a Teacher 

 of Correct Milking. The strongest searchlight used for 

 the discovery of leaks in the dairy herd consists of a pair 

 of scales and a Babcock tester. These will not only tell 

 which cows are profitable and which are not, but, if 

 rightly employed, will also tell which milkers are paying 

 for their salaries and which are not. Milkers should be 

 paid according to the quality of their work, and not, as is 

 commonly the case, according to the number of hours' 

 service. 



Milking Machines. Whether the milking machine 

 may be considered an unqualified success can not be posi- 

 tively stated at the present time. More time and tests are 

 needed to warrant a positive statement. It may be stated, 

 however, that many of our foremost dairymen have 

 endorsed the milking machine as a successful milker, 

 and this, too, after apparently thorough tests extending 

 over periods of many months. Experiment stations also 

 report favorable results from machine milking. 



