the belief of some, the hind
quarters contain rather the most.

Largely developed milk-veins--as the subcutaneous veins along the under
part of the abdomen are commonly called--are regarded as a source of
milk. This is a popular error, for the milk-vein has no connection with
the udder; yet, although the office of these is to convey the blood from
the fore part of the chest and sides to the inguinal vein, yet a large
milk-vein certainly indicates a strongly developed vascular system--one
favorable to secretions generally, and to that of the milk among the
rest.

Milking is performed in two ways, stripping and handling. _Stripping_
consists in seizing the teat firmly near the root between the face of
the thumb and the side of the fore-finger, the length of the teat
passing through the other fingers, and in milking the hand passes down
the entire length of the teat, causing the milk to flow out of its point
in a forcible stream. The action is renewed by again quickly elevating
the hand to the root of the teat. Both hands are employed at the
operation, each having hold of a different teat, and being moved
alternately. The two nearest teats are commonly first milked, and then
the two farthest. _Handling_ is done by grasping the teat at its root
with the fore-finger like a hoop, assisted by the thumb, which lies
horizontally over the fore-finger, the rest being also seized by the
other fingers. Milk is drawn by pressing upon the entire length of the
teat in alternate jerks with the entire palm of the hand. Both hands
being thus employed, are made to press alternately, but so quickly
following each other that the alternate streams of milk sound to the ear
like one forcible, continued stream. This continued stream is also
produced by stripping. Stripping, then, is performed by pressing and
passing certain fingers along the teat; handling, by the whole hand
doubled, or fist, pressing the teat steadily at one place. Hence the
origin of both names.

[Illustration: THE PREFERABLE METHOD.]

Of these two modes, handling is the preferable, since it is the more
natural method--imitating, as it does, the suckling of the calf. When a
calf takes a teat into its mouth, it makes the tongue and palate by
which it seizes it, play upon the teat by alternate pressures or
pulsations, while retaining the teat in the same position. It is thus
obvious that handling is somewhat like sucking, whereas stripping is
not at all like it. It is said