Murchland, William

SUBJECT AREA: Agricultural and food technology

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fl. 1889 Kilmarnock, Scotland

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Scottish inventor of a vacuum milking machine.

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The milking machine patented in 1889 by William Murchland, a sanitary engineer from Kilmarnock, applied a continuous suction to the teat of a cow by means of a vacuum produced by draining water from a sealed system. He first began experiments in response to a shortage of experienced milkers in his region. The apparatus was first erected on the farms of a Mr Shaw at Raining Mains and a John Spier of Newton, near Glasgow. The latter carried out a season of milking on his herd of 35 cows, but despite numerous modifications was unhappy with the yield and the veterinary problems encountered. The concept needed the addition of Shield's pulsator before it performed satisfactorily and without damage to the cow.

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Further Reading

John Spier, 1982, "A Season's experiment of a mechanical milking apparatus", Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, pp. 19–33 (provides an account of Murchland's experiences).

AP