MILK OBSTRUCTION

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1785, 22 July 1926, Page 3

MILK OBSTRUCTION

AMD THE MILK FLOiW. It must be patent to everyone with an elementary knowledge of the subject that a disturbed peace of mind must come from attempting to get milk from\the udder of a cow commonly known as “ the tough milker.” Those who have will no doubt agree that some of the Ten Commandments were in danger of being broken during the said milking opeartion. The Californian Department of Agriculture offers the following suggestions with the hope of making milking more pop-

ular: An examination of the cow’s teat reveals that it is conical in shape, the base of which begins at the udde r and then gradually tapers until at the end it nearly come to a point. The tissue of this organ is rather dense, containing considerable elastic* tisue. Running through the centre of this organ is a more or less estensive cavity, which' is found to be larger at the base and is known as the milk cistern. The lumen in the teat gradually becomes smaller, until near the end it: a rather narrow canaL Through his cavity milk is removed from the udder by the sucking calf or the milker. Several kinds of obstructions may interfere with the free flow of milk dhring the process of milking: 1. The mucous membrane lining of the teat cavity may form a fold at some point and act as a valve , thus preventing the milk from flowing freely under ordinary manipulation. 2. During the course of certain udder diseases clots or curds may form and obstruct the exit of the fluid. 3. Quite commonly an obstruction is formed by the presence of warts or tumours.

4. The majority of the cases of teat obstructions which make milking difficult are caused’ by inflammatory processes induced by injuries near the end of the teat. The lumen may be unusually narrow, or the sphincter muscle (closing band) may be wanting in elasticity. Even in cases of the most simple nature the services of a competent veterinary surgeon are recommended of the owner desires extreme precaution against accidental infection which may ruin a good ud‘der.

The development of milk recording, the increased intensity of competition at show milking trials and in herd contests, and the closer study of the ddiry cow as a prbducer of the best possible food, has naturally led to inquiry as to’ how tliid percentage may be influenced. Generally speaking breeds which give a high percentage of butter-fat in the milfi give a smaller total annual yield than breeds which give milk of a medium fat percentage. Cows of the same breed show wide differences, not only in the total annual yield and the percentage of fat and solids, but also in the length of lactation period and in the food requirements per gallon of milk. All these characteristics are individualistic and hereditary, and may be bred into stock and intensified by selection: The individuality of the cow is the basic principle of milk records. The fat percentage varies with the progress of the lactation. Milk is generally poorest in fat fuom the fourth to the sixth week after calving; thereafter there is a slow but gradual rise until the end of the, lactation period. For the last twjb months the! fat percentage is the highest. The condition of the cow after calving has a consid- • erable influence also. Cows in high condition yield a higher fat percentage ■at this time than cows in poor condition. A cow suffering from disease sometimes gives milk rich in fat; often it contains pathogenic germs; usually it is unfit for consumption. / The intervals between milking have a marked effect on the fat percentage.

If the interval between two successive milkings are unequal the milk after the shorter interval is always richer in fat. When the intervals' are equal the percentage of fat in the morning’s and evening’s milk is practically the same. 'The fore milk—that js, the first few streams —is poor in quality containing very little fat; the strippings, on the other hand, are Tich, and may .contain a high per centage. The effect of food on the fat percentage hasi been the. subject of much in vestigation. The findings in the main have been that, while a change of food, may produce a temporary increase in the fat, there is no long permanent increase. But persistent underfeeding wild reduce the fat content.