Show Electricity in the e Dairy ax Barn arn r I Boosts Profits and Eases Toil f c y ye yr yv v r e I N The pipe line type of milking machine Is recommended for large herds By IRA MILLER IILLER Rural Electrification fraction Bureau ACCORDING A to one of the country's country's country's coun- coun try's leading dairymen two of or orthe the biggest money-making money and laborsaving laborsaving laborsaving labor- labor saving improvements he made on his farm when farm when electricity became available avail avail- able were able were the installation of milkIng milking milking milk milk- ing machines and individual drinking cups for his cows I Not only do milking machines actually actually actually ac ac- ac- ac increase increase increase-in in many cases by as I much as 10 the 10 the amount of milk a cow will give but also they reduce the labor of milking by 50 or more Then too they lessen the contamination contamina contamina- tion of the milk milk another another financial gain especially where a premium is paid for low bacterial content Milking machines can cause no harmful effects on the cows if two simple rules are followed Do not leave the on the animals too long six long six minutes should be the limit for the average cow Although so limiting the time may leave a larger amoun amount t of milk to be removed by hand the cows will not dry up too rapidly at the end of the milking period The second rule is that the rubber liners in the thc teat cups must fit snugly If they are old inelastic or too large they do not grasp the teat tightly and therefore fail to give the necessary necessary sary ary squeezing action Because of the tiring of the cows cow's muscles the quicker the milk c can n be rem removed ved t the e more complete its ex ex- traction Consequently machines machines- which alone can give continuous fast milking making produce milling produce a greater yield than is possible by hand A cow requires at least four pounds of water for each pound of milk it produces Naturally then any in increase increase in- in crease in the amount of water consumed consumed consumed con con- is followed by a correspondIng correspond correspond- ing gain in the yield of or milk Cows like humans drink more often orten when the water is convenient especially when they are eating cating When fresh running water is electrically elec elec- pumped to individual drinking drinking drink drink- ing cups in the dairy barn not only does more milk result but also a lot lotof lotof lotof of work is saved in not driving the cows to and from the watering trough These advantages are particularly particularly particularly appreciated during the winter months when snow or sleet on the ground makes it dangerous to turn the cows out to water and when they refuse to drink their fill fil be because the water is too cold The power required for a milking machine averages from one to three kw hr per month per cow depending depending depending depend depend- ing up upon n the type installed At the three-cent three rate this amounts to but 3 to 9 cents per cow per month- month very little compared to the profits gained and the drudgery eliminated Where a system is installed to provide provide provide pro pro- vide running water for all farm uses the power cost of individual water supply in the dairy barn is but a fraction of or that given above above the the total expense at the three-cent three rate for all water used on the farm arm amounting to but 60 to 90 cents per month |