83o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
December 13 
why you plant them in your State when you can raise 
such exquisite apples of other varieties. I have just 
made out a bill for 1,500 apple trees; 500 Ben Davis, 
500 Black Ben Davis, 300 Champion and rest varieties. 
Now another point. A great deal has been sail about 
fruit tree agents. I wish to state here that more 
farmers have been swindled by dealing with little 
one-horse nurseries than by agents representing nur¬ 
series of character. The cry has been so long “pat¬ 
ronize your home nursery,” till the rogues have leased 
a patch of land and gone to raising a few trees, often 
not a tenth of what they sell. They send their agents 
out all over their county and adjoining county with 
the plea that this is a home nursery. They make all 
kinds of claims. A few years finds them changed in 
location, with another piece of land leased, and tell¬ 
ing the people to patronize their home nursery, rais¬ 
ing a few trees for a blind and buying trees of in¬ 
ferior quality for their customers. I think it safe in 
buying trees, unless you have known your home nur¬ 
seryman, to patronize some large firm; one that has 
a reputation at stake. Our large nurseries cannot af¬ 
ford to do anything but an honest business. This 
section of country here has some little one-horse af¬ 
fairs—tree jobbers who change locations; at least 
they do not stop long at one place. I see you hear 
of them in your paper. l. a. c. 
Indiana. 
“AFTER MILKING” FOR DAIRY COWS . 
Working for “the Last Wrung Drop.” 
Last week we referred to a new method of milking 
used in the dairies of Sweden and Denmark. The 
section of the udder then pictured shows that this 
organ is much the same as a large sponge. In the 
usual process of milking by pulling the teats it is 
evident that the last milk accumulated in drops along 
the ducts and channels of the udder cannot all be 
drawn out. By gently squeezing and rubbing the 
udder these drops are forced to run together into the 
larger milk cisterns where they can be milked out. 
It is like squeezing a sponge to remove the water 
which cannot be shaken out of it. The European 
system of “after milking” consists in going through 
regular manipulations of the udder which have been 
found to bring practically all the milk down. The 
pictures illustrating this method are taken from the 
Wisconsin Station bulletin mentioned last week. The 
following account of them is also given: 
First Manipulation.—The right quarters of the udder 
are pressed against each other (if the udder is very large, 
only one-quarter at a time is taken) with the left hand 
on the hind quarter and the right hand in front on the 
fore quarter, the thumbs being placed on the outside of 
the udder and the four fingers in the division between 
the two halves of the udder. The hands are now pressed 
toward each other and at the same time lifted toward 
the body of the cow. This pressure and lifting is re¬ 
peated three times, the milk collected in the milk cis¬ 
tern is then milked out, and the manipulation repeated 
until no more milk is obtained in this way, when the left 
quarters are treated in the same manner. See Fig. 335. 
Second Manipulation.—The glands are pressed together 
from the side. The fore quarters are milked each by 
itself by placing one hand, with fingers spread, on the 
outside of the quarter and the other hand in the division 
between the r:gnt and left fore quarters; the hands are 
pressed against each other and the teat then milked. 
When no more rr.ilK is obtained by this manipulation, the 
hind quarters are milked by placing a hand on the out¬ 
side of each quarter, likewise with fingers spread and 
turned upward, but with the thumb just in front of the 
hind quarter. The hands are lifted and grasp into the 
gland from behind and from the side, after which they 
are lowered to draw the milk. The manipulation is re¬ 
peated until no more milk is obtained. See Figs. 336 and 
337. 
Third Manipulation.—The fore teats are grasped with 
partly closed hands and lifted with a push toward the 
body of the cow, both at the same time, by which method 
the glands are pressed between the hands and the body; 
the milk is drawn after each three pushes. When the 
fore teats are emptied, the hind teats are milked in the 
same manner. 
We suppose that every milker has noticed that 
gently rubbing or kneading the udder will often in¬ 
duce a cow to “give down” her last milk. This method 
represents the best way to handle the udder for this 
purpose. The bulletin mentioned gives some very 
interesting facts about milking. Experiments were 
tried on 142 different cows in various dairies. It was 
found that some cows “held up” more milk than oth¬ 
ers which was due both to differences in milkers and 
to the cows themselves. In every case this “after 
milking” or working of the udder seemed to bring 
every drop out of the udder. But did all this extra 
work pay? One cow gave 5% pounds of milk after 
the regular milker left her. That was the largest 
amount—the smallest being one-fifth of a pound. The 
average of 142 cows was a little over one pound of 
milk and .10 of a pound of fat per day. That was 
what the udder gave up when worked according to 
this system. 
You will see that this means milk with 10 per cent 
of fat. It has long been known that the strippings 
are very rich in fat. This is explained when we con¬ 
sider how milk.,is made in the tiny cells and glands 
as was shown last week. Naturally, as the milk flow 
slackens the globules of fat are not washed out into 
the milk cisterns where they can be “milked” out. 
By kneading and squeezing the udder they are work¬ 
ed out and thus saved. The average milk taken from 
these cows, in the regular way, contained 4.29 per 
cent of fat. The average of the milk “worked” out 
FIRST MANIPULATION OF UDDER, Right Quarter. Fig. 335. 
after the regular milking was 10.32 per cent. This 
shows where the gain occurs, but it is not the only 
thing to be considered. 
Every dairyman knows what poor milking means 
to a cow. When we want to “dry” a cow we leave a 
little milk in the udder for a number of milkings. 
That is a good way to slacken the work of the milk 
glands. When they are not emptied perfectly they 
are not stimulated to activity in producing more milk. 
They may grow “lazy” for the same reason that 
prompts a man to quit working when he sees no need 
for it. When the udder is thoroughly cleaned out 
these glands are stimulated to extra exertion and 
SECOND MANIPULATION, Right Fore Quarter. Fig. 336. 
more milk is produced. There is no way of thorough¬ 
ly cleaning the udder by simply pulling and squeez¬ 
ing the teat. This is very true of young heifers in 
which the udder is not fully developed. These manipu¬ 
lations strengthen the udder, give it size and shape 
and stimulate the glands so that as the heifer grows 
older she makes a better cow. This development 
passes from mother to daughter, for this larger udder 
and milk making capacity will be inherited. We all 
know, too, that clean and careful milking will often 
prevent disease of the udder. Inflammation often sets 
in because too much milk is left and it is likely that 
this “after milking” would prevent much of it. 
SECOND MANIPULATION, Right Hind Quarter. Fig. 337. 
Any way you may figure it is desirable to get all 
the milk out of the udder at each milking, and it is 
very evident that this “working” or after milking 
will obtain a portion that cannot be obtained in any 
other way. The average farmer will say that he can¬ 
not spend the time required for it, but is he right 
about that? The experiments recorded in this bul¬ 
letin show that this after-milking increased the yield 
in butter fat nearly 12 per cent, and required less 
than three minutes for each cow. Where a man has 
a large dairy with several milkers at work it would 
probably pay the “boss” better to follow the milkers 
with this “working” of the udders rather than to 
“milk” his own share of the cows. We all know that 
milking is often very unsatisfactory and that cows 
are sometimes injured because they are not milked 
clean. If, as these experiments seem to prove, this 
manipulation of the udder will secure for us the rich¬ 
est milk that the cow is capable of giving—the dregs 
so to speak of the cream-making factory—it is high 
time we did something besides “pull teats” and call 
it milking. _ 
WIRE CAGES FOR APPLE BORERS. 
I have noticed many times that there is no sure way 
to combat the Apple tree-borer except to dig them cut. 
I would like to know why the following will not be a 
sure and safe remedy against them: Tie a piece of wre 
fly screen around the tree to extend up from the ground 
a foot or more, and tied so as to stand out from the tree 
one-half to one inch. The earth around the base could 
be dug away before the wire was placed, and then filled 
up again afterwards. This would not prevent in any way 
the growth of the tree, and it seems to me would effectu¬ 
ally keep away the fly or insect which lays the eggs that 
develop the borer. m. j. s. 
Colorado. 
Theoretically, this wire cage is a perfect protector 
against the Apple tree-borer, but it may not work 
in practice. In our extensive experiments against the 
Peach tree-borer (a different insect from the Apple 
tree-borer) a few years ago, we devised and thorough¬ 
ly tested such a wire cage. For three years we tried 
our best to make these cages keep out Peach tree- 
borers as they should theoretically. Our efforts re¬ 
sulted in dismal failures each time. Not only did the 
wire cages fail to keep out the borers, but each year 
the trees thus caged became infested by more borers 
than other trees nearby without any treatment. Wo 
were unable to get the slightest practical evidence in 
favor of wire cages as a protection against the Peach 
tree-borer. In fact, in our experience they were 
worse than no treatment of any kind. But the Apple 
tree-borer is a very different insect with somewhat 
different habits from the Peach tree-borer and the 
wire cage may “practice what it preaches” on an 
apple tree. Before we made our experiments on the 
peach we would have confidently expected the cage 
to keep out Apple tree-borers, but we are now forced 
to admit that we should not be surprised if it proved 
a failure on apple trees. Man’s theories would soon 
exterminate all the insect pests, were it not for the 
knockout blows they often receive when put into 
practice. Two cages of wire were shown on page 799, 
issue of November 29. m. v. slingerland. 
OYSTER SHELLS AS FERTILIZER. 
I would like to know whether oyster shells are any 
good for fertilizer, and if so what is the best way to get 
them in suitable condition for plant food? I was told 
by a man from New Jersey that farmers there paid four 
and five cents a bushel for them, and piled them on old 
railroad ties and burnt them for fertilizers. c. G. 
Olean, N. Y. 
R. N.-Y.—The Jerseyman is probably right as re¬ 
gards the practice in some parts of New Jersey near 
the coast. There may be places where old, discarded 
railroad ties are used for burning shells. This is no 
reason why it would pay to buy the shells, pay 
freight on them 400 miles, and then burn them. It 
would be cheaper to buy lime already burned. All 
you can hope to get from the oyster shells as a ferti¬ 
lizer is lime, and the shells are worthless for use o;i 
the land until they are burned. You would not ex¬ 
pect to take 50 big bones, each weighing six pounds 
or more, put them here and there on an acre of 
ground and obtain a large increase in a crop of grass 
or grain. If, however, you could have those big bones 
crushed or ground to a fine powder and scatter 
it evenly all over the acre you would have a 
right to expect a gain in the crop. Burning is a very 
fine grinding, and when thoroughly burned, the lime 
in the oyster shells becomes a fine powder and is 
far more active in its effect upon the land. Bury a 
big log near the hole where you plant a tree and it 
will be a long time before the tree responds. Burn 
the log and put the handful of ashes which it gives 
around the tree and the response is quick. Lime is 
not what is called a complete fertilizer—that is, it 
does not supply nitrogen, potash or phosphoric acid, 
the three elements most needed by plants. All plants 
need lime and many soils also need it. We make the 
distinction between plant and soil because most soils 
contain lime enough to produce a fair crop. Some 
clay soils are too heavy or compact, so that water and 
air cannot well pass through them. Lime helps such 
so’ls by opening them—that is, making the little par¬ 
ticles of soil form into larger grains and thus admit 
the air. Very light soils are also often helped by lime 
because it compacts them something like what hap¬ 
pens when mortar is made, and thus makes them hold 
water better. Many soils are sour, so that useful 
crops cannot grow weli in them. Lime “sweetens” 
them. It is most likely to give good results on low 
lands, pastures and meadows or fields very rich in 
vegetable matter. 
