DAIRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1952, 23 July 1891, Page 8

DAIRY NOTES.

By Old Fabmkk.

BDTTBB NOT COMING.

Everyone has been told, whether truly or not, that farmers and farmers' wives are always grumbling at something or other, and no doubt they very often have good reason to do so. Certainly, if anything could excuse so bad a habit, it would be when some poor unfortunate person (alas too often of the weaker sex) has to keep on churning, churning, and churning hour after hour all day long, and the butter "won't coma!" The writer lately visited a dairy-farm where the good lady denied ever losing her temper over the churn, and explained that she never had any trouble with it. If the butter does not oome in a quarter of an hour or 20 minutes , she just pours all the contents of the churn into a large pot and places it on the stove, and as soon as it shows a bell or two she takes it off and returns it to the churn, waitß till it cools down to a little above 60<3eg, and then goes on churning, when she finds that it invariably produces good sound butter almost immediately, never having known it to take more than a very few minutes, and sometimes but a few turns of the handle. Tbe cream must not quite come to a boil, but toe as near to it as possible. -hAb every possible confidence is to be reposed in the authority, and as the system' has been tested Bince, the hint may be useful to these who experience difficulty in thia most tedious and arm-breaking labour.

MILKING MACHINES. We hear of other new milking machines whioh are gaining great credit in Scotland for their inventors, and whioh will undoubtedly stand the test of any amount of inspection, but hitherto they are all on the same principle— that is, they draw the milk by suction, caused by creating a vaouum, Now the invention, or at least the principle, is by no means a new one, and it has not been fonnd to answer. The writer would caution owners of cows to be careful how they invest money in. such machines, or how they use them. Having at one time tried one myself I can apeak from experience. The machines answer the purpose admirably, and leave very little (if anything) to be desired further, but they ruin the teats of the cows. From the severe suction, without the assistance of pressure, tbe muscles become bo much relaxed that after the machines have been in use a little time the cows cannot retain their milk, and it may be seen dropping from tiaem as they graza in the fields. Such at all events was my experience. No doubt tha

invention, being a most valuable and desirable one, will be improved upon, and thia defect probably remedied, but until it is bo farmers would do well to be oaref ul.