THOROUGH MILKING.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVII, Issue 50, 20 December 1910, Page 6

THOROUGH MILKING.

The importance of thoroughly and ineffectually milking cows so as to remove every drop of imilk from the udder during the milking process is frequently overlooked or not fully understood. Omission to do this not only very obviously causes a reduction in the milk obtained, but—what is not so generally recognised—it results jn the production of milk of a purer quality than would be the case if the udder were thoroughly stripped and relieved of its last drop of milk. The results of numerous milking experiments in regard to this question are available to show that the milk as taken from the cow is not of average composition—that is to say that the first drawn milk is abnormally poor in fat content; whilst the quality of the milk gradually improves as the process of milking continues, the last drawn milk being richest in butter-fat, containing a much higher percentage than a sample of normal milk. Whereas the first drawn milk may have as low a percentage as 1.2 or 1.5, the last pint withdrawn from the cow may contain as much as 6 or 7 per cent, of fat. The are richest of all, and may . prove on analysis to contain 10 per cent. ' of fat. It is evident from this that unless the strappings up to the last drop are included in the milk the latter will wnUia km than it should.