“Switchboard” Protects Milker from Cow’s Tail
The Legend Put On the “Switchboard” by the Boys Shows How They Value It
A simple and effective device for guarding a person milking a cow from being hit in the face by the cow’s tail is made of a board, about 10 in. wide and 5 ft. long. This is hung by two wire hooks from a long wire running lengthwise of the stable just over the front edge of the gutter. It is moved along with the milker and effectually protects his face while milking. The device was made by a Wisconsin farmer after nearly losing the sight of an eye in being hit by a cow’s tail. He tried tying the tails of the cows while milking them, but found by actual test that some cows dropped down as much as 25 per cent in milk production when their tails were tied. The “switchboard” gives the cows the necessary freedom.—D. S. B., Wisconsin Live Stock Breeders’ Association.