FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 237 



Warts on the Teats 



Sometimes warts attain sufficient size to interfere with 

 milking. One method of removing them is to apply castor 

 oil or pure olive oil after each milking for a week. If this 

 treatment fails, the warts can be touched with a stick of 

 lunar caustic and the oil applied after that. Long warts 

 that are not too large at the base may be removed by tying a 

 silk thread tightly around the wart near the teat and allow- 

 ing it to remain until the wart drops off. 



Cracked Teats 



Sometimes a cow's teats will chap in the winter. The 

 cause is exposure to cold when the teats are still moist. 

 The remedy is to milk with dry hands and to see that the 

 teats are dry when the cows are turned out in the cold. Wet 

 milking and the sucking of calves make the teats more 

 liable to chap. In case cracking occurs, the main treat- 

 ment consists in keeping the teats soft with applications of 

 oil or salve. This will help to protect the teats from ex- 

 cessive drying and continued cracking. 



Kicking 



Kicking during milking is largely due to poor manage- 

 ment. Many cows will kick when they are being broken 

 to milk, and they must be carefully handled so that they will 

 not form the habit. Sore or cracked teats will also cause 

 cows to kick. One should never strike a cow for kicking. 

 Such practice will get her excited and make her worse. 

 Some animals must be restrained while being milked. This 

 is best accomplished by placing a heavy strap or rope 

 around the rear legs just above the hocks. Pass this strap 

 around one leg, cross between the legs, and then around the 

 other, drawing them close together. Unless crossed in the 

 middle the strap will Slip down when the cow struggles. 



Self-Sucking 



Every dairyman has had experience with cows that 

 suck themselves. There seems to be no satisfactory ex- 



