230 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



taken directly from the cow, or drunk. But few farmers can, 

 however, afford to bring up a calf wholly on new milk. 



We have practised raising calves by allowing them to suck 

 the mother about four days, then teaching them to drink, which 

 is easily done, with new milk. Let the calf lose one meal from 

 the cow, and it will almost invariably drink, when the milk is 

 offered. It should have new milk until fifteen days old, then 

 this can be mixed with an equal amount of skimmed milk or 

 oatmeal porridge. Care should be taken not to feed too much ; 

 four quarts is enough to give at once. We should try, also, to 

 teach it to eat early-cut hay, roots, oats and shorts. In this man- 

 ner the calf will grow straight and healthy. It is wrong, how- 

 ever, to allow a calf to drink a large quantity at a time of 

 anything. Calves can be raised upon hay-tea, porridge, &c, 

 without any milk, but we think that if a farmer is so situated 

 that he cannot afford a calf new milk one week, then one-half 

 skim milk until it has a stomach sufficiently strong to digest more 

 solid food, he had better buy his cows rather than raise them. 

 A heifer should be kept thriving until she comes to milk, and if 

 possible she should drop her first calf while in the barn, or just 

 before going to grass, as there will be less danger of having 

 trouble with the udder. After well in milk, she should be 

 liberally fed, carefully and regularly milked until near her next 

 calving time. By such treatment, if she is of good blood, she 

 will generally make a good cow and hold out well. Heifers 

 should be frequently handled and petted from calves ; then they 

 will be more easily handled for milking. 



The milch cow should be gently and carefully treated, and 

 should have her wants as fully supplied as may be at all times 

 of the year. Although she should be allowed to go to the 

 ground as soon as practicable in the spring, yet she should not 

 be permitted to run upon the summer pastures until they can 

 afford her a good supply of food. It is poor economy to allow 

 herds to roam all over the pastures clipping the young and ten- 

 der grasses before they yield much nutriment. 



When the change is made from hay to grass it should be 

 done carefully and gradually ; the cows should have a foddering 

 of the best hay twice a day as long as they will eat it ; if extra 

 feed has been given it may now be discontinued. 



In order to keep up a good flow of milk a constant supply of 



