Norman D. Crow wrote:

Yeah, and then it gets infected with mastitis and you've got to spend
extra time for about a week milking that quarter out by hand, because
you aren't allowed to put it in the milk for sale, then injecting
drugs and putting in a teat dilator so it doesn't close up and become
useless. For the in-initiated, a teat dilator is a little purple
thing looks like a pipe cleaner, about 1-1 1/4" long with a circle on
the end so it doesn't go all the way in and get lost. They come in a
round metal can about 1 1/2" deep, about 50 of them, stuck in 3/4" of
yellow salve in the bottom of the can. When they were all used up,
the leftover salve was great for cuts, scrapes, etc.(very similar to
"Bag Balm"). As I recall, most cows were NOT overjoyed about having
them inserted, either!

I wanted to be a "city kid" but unfortunately I know what you're talking
about... ;-)

-- Mark