10 



THE STORY OF MILK 



Milking. — The cows are usually milked twice a day; 

 occasionally, when the highest possible yield is desired, 

 as in important tests, three or four times. The first 

 ^ve days after the birth of the calf the milk, — the 



Colostrum so called, — is not 

 normal and should not be used 

 for human consumption. It 

 may be fed to the calf. The 

 first three to four months the 

 yield of milk generally is 

 higher than later, when it 

 gradually drops until after 

 about ten months it stops al- 

 together and the cow goes 

 ''dry" at least for some six 

 weeks before dropping the 

 next calf. The highest annual 

 yield may be obtained by having the cows ''come in" 

 in the Fall or early Winter and feeding them well all 

 Winter to keep up 

 an abundant flow of 

 milk. Then, when 

 they come out on 

 pasture in the 

 Spring, — in the lati- 

 tude of the Great 

 Lakes about May 

 15th, — the fresh, 

 rich feed will stimu- 

 late production arid 

 give it a fresh start 

 so that the milk-pail may continue to be filled during 

 the next few months and the shrinkage of the yield will 



Milking machine 



In the partly covered milk-pail dust does not 

 fall as readily as in the one entirely open 



