JUIN | 
, . 
314 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL, [1 Szpr., 1901. 
After the first calf the heifer is apt to feel tender, and hence inclined to 
object to the milker’s touch. This tenderness lasts, in a few cases, to the later 
years. In such cases one must set about milking with even greater gentleness 
and care. Nothing but kindness should be used unless the cow is yery 
“ wicked.” 
To milk quite dry, as a means of increasing the milk-giving power of a 
cow, is especially important in the case of a heifer after its first calf, since it 
acts with even greater power on the heifer than on the older cow. 
It would be a good thing if every milker was provided with two smocks of 
washable material, one being always in the wash or clean, so that a clean one 
may be put on at least once a week. As one ought to milk with bare arms, 
these blouses should have short sleeves, and be made so that they can easily be 
slipped on over the ordinary dress. 
In wet weather, when milking is done out of doors, a waterproof cloak is 
almost a necessity. 
It should be a point of honour for the milker to see that all pails, &e,, in 
which the milk is collected should be absolutely clean. This scrupulous cleanli- 
ness is, of course, a necessity. The pails, &c., are best made of tin-plated steel, 
and must not be allowed to rust. 
Complete cleaning is best and most easily done as follows : Immediately 
they are finished with, the pails are washed with two or three lots of cold water ; 
afterwards they are completely covered both inside and outside with thick lime 
water, then scrubbed with cold water, rinsed and washed again two or three 
times in clean cold water and finally in clean boiling water, and then allowed to 
drain dry in the open air; they must not be wiped with a cloth nor with any- 
thing else. Be it morning, noon, or evening, the hands must be carefully 
washed before going to milking, and if the milking is done indoors one should 
also wash and ee the hands whenever they get at all dirty. 
For the sake of cleanliness it is best to milk with dry hands. 
Whoever has the care of cows, it should be their object to keep them 
clean. If the udder is in a filthy condition it must, before milking is begun, be 
washed clean with lukewarm water, and rubbed dry with a piece of cloth. 
Milk has a great capacity for absorbing gases.from the air, and, since it 
offers an extensive surface as it passes in jets through the air between the 
teat and the pail, the air in the shed should—especially during milking—be 
sy as pure as one can possibly keep it. For this reason, if the cows are 
indoors, they should be made to stand up a little while before milking begins. 
They will then probably get rid of their manure. Afterwards all available 
doors and windows should be opened for a few minutes ; the litter is arranged 
and things are put in order, so that everything is as it should be when the 
milking is to begin. 
Light helps to keep the air pure, so one should always have plenty of 
daylight in the shed ; and, if the cows are milked indoors in the dark winter 
mornings and evenings, plenty of lantern light gives a better chance of good 
and clean milking. 
MILKING TIMES. 
If a cow is milked three times in every twenty-four hours, the milk 
obtained is both more abundant and richer than if milking takes place only 
twice aday. But whether one milks three times or only twice daily, the times 
between the milkings should always be as nearly as possible of the same 
length. 
"The cow is a creature of habit; its udder works steadily and regularly. 
Hence the milking time should be most carefully kept, and the same pair of 
hands should milk the same cows in the same order. If milking is begun too 
late the cow becomes restless, and as regards those which gives much milk the 
tension in the udder can give pain—in all cases milk is lost. Altogether it 
ought to be clearly ate that the cow repays all unpleasantness by giving 
less milk. 
ee 
—T | 
re 
Oe 
