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Show DRIVING COWS TO MILKER FAVORED Mechanical Milking Unit of Standard Make Praised. Milking cows is being done in a new way by experts of the United States Department of Agriculture at Hie dairy experiment farm in Maryland and the plan being used may have several advantages ad-vantages for Minnesota dairymen, in the opinion of Dr. C. 11. EcUles. chief of the dairy division, University Farm, St Paul. This plan involves driving the cows to the milking machine. Instead In-stead of taking the machine to the cows. A mechanical milking unit of standard stand-ard make is used, but instead of the usual portable receptacle for the milk, it is drawn into a stationary container contain-er located between two stalls. Cows are driven into the milking stalls from the rear and instead of being tied or stanchioned they are detained hy movable mov-able gates placed In frout of the stalls. These can be opened from the rear by the operator after each cow is milked, allowing her to move on and another bossy to take her place. Doctor Eckles thinks the idea is well worth considering for dairymen who are contemplating building new barns and particularly so for farmers who wish to go into the dairy business, utilizing buildings which they already have, but which are not equipped for dairying.. For instance, a map who is raising beef cattle might easily and cheaply convert his place into a dairy farm by fitting up a mall milking plant along the lines described above, using the regular sheds or shelter for dairy cows and driving them to the special stalls for milking. Large herds ol dairy cows may be sheltered together without stanchions providing tbey are dehorned and the sheus kept wel.' bedded. Doctor Eckles would i'avor having enough milking stalls to permit the cows to remain in them while eating their grain. Feeding tlie cows their grain individually at milking time enables en-ables the dairyman to adjust the amount of grain to mills flow and also attracts the cows to the milking stalls. Beside being a relatively cheap way to equip a farm for dairying, this new system would make it easier to beep the milking quarters clean because of their smaller size, Doctor Eckles says. |
