32 



PEOFIT AND PLEASURE 



Regularity in milking is just as essential as regularity m 

 feeding, and both should be punctually done at the regular hour : 

 it does not matter much what that hour is, but if the milkmg is 

 done twice a day, as it usually is, the time between nulkmgs 

 should be as near twelve hours as possible. A heavy milker 

 should be milked three times a day, so long as the flow continues 

 large. Irregular hours and failure to completely empty the udder 

 will surely reduce the supply and shorten the length of the lacta- 

 tion period. 



HOW SOON CAN MILK BE USED. 



Many milkmen claim that cow's milk is fit for human con- 

 sumption the second or third day after the cow has calved, but I 

 have never found it so. One of the largest milk companies in the 

 country, that contracts with farmers for their entire output, have 

 a clause in their contract, that no milk shall be delivered to them 

 that is drawn from the cow in less than ten days after calving or 

 sixty days prior to that event. The peculiar quality of milk when 

 the cow or goat is fresh, leaves it very gradually and is not entire- 

 ly absent in less than ten to fourteen days. I test mine frequently 

 but seldom use it until 

 two weeks after kidding. 

 It is for this reason that I 

 do not favor killing the 

 kids at birth for the sake 

 of the milk. If the milk 

 is good for the kids, let 

 them have it and then 

 by continuing them on for 

 a week or two more, they 

 are ready for roasting or 

 at six weeks can be wean- 

 ed. 



4. TYPICAL, TOGGENBURG DOB 



The w-inner of many prizes in Eng- 

 land. G^ive five pints daily five months 

 after kidding- 



I maintain that in 

 figuring the cost of the 

 kid, it is w r o n g to 

 charge up the milk from birth to the date of killing or weaning 

 for the reason that for a considerable portion of the time the 

 milk is not fit for any other use. 



CARE OP MILK. 



It may be well at the start to remind the reader of the abso- 

 lute necessity of keeping all milk utensils scrupulously clean. 

 Pails, pans and bottles should not merely be washed clean, they 

 should be rinsed in scalding water and allowed to drain dry. 

 They should never be washed in same water with dishes. 



I milk into an ordinary tin pail holding 3 quarts and having 



