DAIRY CATTLE 



473 



are then treated in the same way. The 

 second manipulation of the Hegelund 

 method consists in pressing the udder 

 together from side to side, the fore- 

 quarters being treated first and milked 

 out thoroughly, after which the hind- 

 quarters are treated in the same man- 

 ner. In the third manipulation of the 

 method, the fore teats are grasped with 

 the partly closed hands and pushed up 

 quite firmly against the udder; the milk 

 is drawn after each three pushes. After 

 the fore teats have been milked out, the 

 hind teats are treated in the same way. 

 The Hegelund method has been quite 

 thoroughly tested in various parts of 

 the United States. In Wisconsin, Woll 

 made a study of the method as applied 

 to the experiment station dairy and to 



all of the cows in Wisconsin as the 

 result of applying the Hegelund method, 

 it would mean an average gain of 

 30,000,000 pounds of butter fat in a 

 milk year of 300 days, with a value of 

 $6,000,000, on a basis of 20 cents a 

 pound for butter. 



Milk during the period of heat — At 

 the present time much attention is being 

 given by health officers and milk con- 

 sumers to all the factors and conditions 

 which may influence the quality or 

 wholesomeness of milk. Doane, in 

 Maryland, recently carried out a num- 

 ber of tests with milk obtained from 

 cows during the period of heat. It was 

 found that with most cows there was no 

 appreciable variation in any of the con- 

 stituents of the milk during this period, 



302 — OLD FASHIONED MILK MAID 



twelve other dairies in different parts of 

 the state. The purpose of these tests was 

 to determine the increased amount of 

 milk obtained by the Hegelund method. 

 In the university herd, the average daily 

 production of milk was increased 4.5 

 per cent and the production of fat 9.2 

 per cent, the average gain in milk being 

 1 pound and in fat .9 of a pound a 

 head a day. Practically the same re- 

 sults were obtained from the application 

 of this method to dairies in other parts 

 of the state. The test was continued 

 during a period of four months with 

 cows in all stages of lactation and ap- 

 parently the beneficial results of the 

 method are manifest throughout the 

 whole lactation period. Woll estimates 

 that if the same relative increase of milk 

 and fat production was obtained from 



but that occasionally there was a slight 

 increase in the amount of fat during the 

 first and second days of the period of 

 heat. It appears, therefore, that milk 

 from cows during heat is in a normal 

 condition and quite fit for use. 



Milking machines — I n Europe and 

 the English colonies, several types of 

 milking machines have been tested, and 

 with satisfactory results in many cases. 

 These machines are operated by elec- 

 tricity or other power, and for the most 

 part depend for their action upon the 

 production of a partial vacuum in a cup- 

 like apparatus attached to the teats. The 

 chief advantage claimed for milking ma- 

 chines is that by their use the milk can 

 be drawn from the udder through tubes 

 into the milk pail without the possibility 

 of contamination with dirt or bacteria. 



