Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 433 



rotation of the latter was expected to compress the teats, at intervals 

 between their radially projecting portions, and expel the milk. The 

 apparatus of conrse never amounted to anything, but has a slight 

 interest as one of the vagaries of invention. A more practical, and 

 for that reason, a more mischievous milking device is a little tube to 

 be thrust up the teat to allow the milk to run out by its own weiglit. 

 This is simply an imitation of the goose quill which lazy milkers are 

 sometimes accused of inserting in the teats for the same purpose. 

 The practice cannot foil to distend the orifices from which the milk 

 is drawn, thus leading to an involutary loss or, if long continued, 

 to local inflammation or induration of the immediate surface of the 

 parts. The famous cow milkers, about which so much has been said 

 during the past ten years, are made with four conical India-rubber cups, 

 or teat-holders, which are placed upon the teats ; the cups are connected 

 with a pump, which may be operated either by power or by a lever 

 worked by hand. This pump draws the milk from all four teats at 

 once, the milk flowing through a spout to the pail. The writer 

 having witnessed the practical use of the machine feels compelled to- 

 say that as far as its mechanical operation is concerned it is a 

 success. It cannot injure the teats ; the milk is drawn in a smooth 

 current and much quicker than on the average it can be done by 

 hand. As drawbacks to these advantages the machine is, from the 

 very nature of the case, somewhat expensive ; just a little likely to 

 be deranged by use ; requires some skill in its manipulation, and 

 does not milk as clean as is done by the ordinary means, so that it is- 

 necessary to " strip" by hand. For these reasons, while it deserves 

 a trial in large dairies it is not likely to come into extended use where 

 only a few cows are kept. Milking machines must, therefore, upon 

 the whole be classed with the self-binder for harvesters, and the 

 self-loaders for hay-riggings, as things not ^^et fully wrought out to 

 meet the rigid requirements of ordinary farm experience. In falling- 

 back from the contemplation of ingenious milking machinery to that 

 of the good old way, it may be well for the milker to reprobate one 

 or two hobbies semi-occasion ally put in practice, as, for instance, the 

 wetting of the teats with milk, which forms a greasy varnish upoo 

 them, that, to say the least, does no good whatever, and the practice 

 of keeping the " strippings" back to mingle with the cream, underthtr 

 mistaken notion that the increase in the quantity of butter will pay 

 for the trouble of doing it. 

 [Inst.] 28 



