234 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEK. 



Aug. 



and lets off the excess ; when there is no excess 

 it goes tlirough the usual channels in the usaal 

 time. But, as happens generally with milldanis, 

 as with cows' udders once a year and often twice, 

 the supply of fluid is much diminished, water 

 and milk both are reduced, are the usual degrees 

 and modes of outlet in the same period of time, 

 required ? Whether the dam be full or empty 

 makes no difference in the quantity of water 

 flowing in, or the source whence it comes, pro- 

 vided there be space to receive it; and is it not 

 so with the milk-giving cow generally, exceptions 

 proving the rule ? 



Milk being a seuretion from the blood, and as 

 much a product of digestion therefore as the 

 blood itself, it follows that the quality and quan- 

 tity depend on the character and quantity of the 

 food really and completely digested by the ani- 

 mal secreting it. After blood has been trans- 

 formed into milk, and has flowed into the milk 

 veins, its formation specifically either %b to quan- 

 tity or quality has been completed and endtd. 

 The large milk-veins are simply channels for 

 convening it to the udder, as the Hudson and 

 Potomac convey what they have received — but' 

 not received — from their feeders into the ocean. 

 We sometimes see cows with the milk-vein as it 

 is called, over-full ; but (his happens only when 

 the udder itself is full. By its natural gravity 

 milk descends to the unner as water down stream. 

 When the milk>-veins are unusually full, the ud- 

 der must therefore have been already filled, and 

 as the milk-veins can not become excessively 

 filled till after the sack or udder itself is full, the 

 former is always both a sign and consequence of 

 the othe. If, as foor instance in Jun« and July 

 as compared with October and November, the 

 milk-veins are fuller in the former than in the 

 latter months, it because more blood is made, 

 and this from more food being consumed and di- 

 gested. But the same high degree of heat which 

 forces a rapid growth of succulent herbage and 

 feed, causes its absorption of a larger proportion 

 of water, which causes the fluidity of the blood, 

 and makes it flow with moe ease and rapidity 

 in acoordance. Hence, though more milk be se- 

 creted, its flow through the milk-veins is more 

 rapid in correspondence, and, as before inti- 

 mated, (he iatter will not become over-full unless 

 the bag itself be first filled. If, therefore, the 

 milk-veins become at any time unusually full, it 

 is an indication that the bag itself is full, and, 

 of cour'ie, that the cow needs milking, if it be 

 the purpose to increase or even maintain her 

 present yield of milk, whatever be its quality. 

 So far, then, from agreeing that milking twice a 

 day, as a mere matter of routine, is necessary to 

 maintain a given yield of milk, I dissent from 

 any such indiecriminating proposition. 



The truth of (he matter in a fair practical sense 

 seems to be something like this: A great many 

 men are engaged in bungling thereat and writing 

 about i^, who do not understand this branch of 

 agriculture, — who will not or can not discrimin- 

 ate. Manifestly, the milk in a cow's bag has no 

 connection with or influence upon the quantity of 

 milk secreted — unless as happens with heifers in 

 some instances, when their dams have not been 

 milked to their full capacity — the bag has not 



been milked to their full capacity — the bag has 

 not lost the power of contraction which is char- 

 acteristic of a natural state. But where cows 

 have been milked through an ancestry of several 

 generations, and their udders are artificially en- 

 larged by mechanical tension long continued, 

 the power of contraction will seldom be found in 

 any considerable degree in cows of full growth, 

 used for dairy purposes 



Whatever the size of the udder of a cow may 

 be, so long as it is not quite full, the contents of 

 the milk- veins can freely flow into it. If it is 

 only half or two-thirds full, the flow of milk into 

 it will not be obstructed any more than if only a 

 quarter or one-third full : that is upon the sup-* 

 po'iitlon that the udder has lost its power of con- 

 traction by the unnatural force and strain of 

 carrying half a days' secretion of milk, con- 

 tinued and repeated dsy after day, and season 

 after season. 



There are a few cows that need special treat- 

 ment in order to dry them up before calving ; but 

 not many require it. If these have their milk 

 reduced by milking once only instead of twice a 

 day, a very large majority dry up in opposition 

 to your wishes, and in spite of your efforts to 

 prevent it. In most instances, therefore, milk- 

 ing once a day is pn accommodation of circum- 

 st nces, the deviation of time and labor to one 

 milking, which if duplicated would not be com- 

 pensated by the quantity or value of milk ob- 

 tained ; and as to drying cows up, it is usually in 

 conpequence of their giving less milk from other 

 causes, that milking but once a day is made to 

 suffice. 



But it sometimes happens with critics — and 

 quakers too — that, as in this instance, they put 

 t'e cart before the horse ; and, in assuming to 

 settle, they merely confuse. 



Whenever a cow's udder is nearly full, she 

 should be milked, if it be desired to continue or 

 increase her yield ; for when in a young cow the 

 blood is much of it diverted in this direction, the 

 tet'dency to milk-forming may be considerably 

 increased by mechanical tra ning in addition to 

 suitable food. In the winter, only such cows as 

 are managed and fed specially for winter dairy- 

 ing or milking will fill their udders quite full, 

 whether milked once or twice. 



The number of milkings should be determined 

 by this sign ; if the udder does not quite fill with 

 milking once, two milkings are not necessary. If 

 it does fill, the cow should be milked twice. The 

 b«g must lak a little of being full in order to 

 afford spaceffor the milk-veins to empty their 

 milk into. 



In regard to milking three times a day, the 

 practice maybe made to increase the quantity of 

 milk obtained very materially in certain cases, 

 though with a email minority only of the total 

 number cow*. There are some cows that have 

 weak ;eats or valves, so that they can not hold 

 their milk when there is a fresh bite of grass. It 

 must be evident thae such cows should be milked 

 thrice daily, in order to save all they make, what- 

 ever that may be. There are others with small 

 bags, but with great general muscular force, and 

 sirong and rapid digestive powers. These fill 

 themselves; digest their food, and fill their bags 



