Mechanization of the dairy industry coincided with the advent of railroads to transport goods, which made it possible to locate dairy operations away from the cities and created dairying regions in such areas as Denmark and Wisconsin. It also allowed butter and cheese production to become factory industries. Prior to these developments, all dairy production was conducted on the farm or by city cow keepers, who kept their animals at the back of their shops. Early attempts at artificially aiding the milking process involved inserting tubes made from straw or the bones of birds' feet into the cow's udder. In 1860, American engineer, L. O. Colvin, invented a vacuum milking machine. The suction action drew the milk into a container set beneath the cow. However, the continuous suction irritated the cow's udder and caused bleeding. In 1889, a Scottish plumber, William Murchland, invented a machine that used a...