RAISING CALVES AND LAMBS. 109 



poor bone for the purpose of making handles, and he must have 

 good horns for the purpose of making combs. 



I, state these facts as curious, and because they are the result 

 of my own observation, and bear upon this matter of color and 

 general structure. 



Harrison Garfield, of Lee. There is one question that 

 presents itself to my mind in relation to the subject under dis- 

 cussion, and that is, the best method to be pursued in feeding — 

 for instance, calves that are to be raised. My idea of breeding 

 an animal is that it must be kept in a thrifty condition until it 

 is near maturity ; so near, that no stinting of food will in any 

 way cramp its development. Allusion has been made to the 

 large development of the cattle of Ohio and Kentucky. I hap- 

 pened to be in Kentucky and Ohio some years ago, and exam- 

 ined several farms. Their mode of raising their calves is to let 

 them run with their cows until the cows shake them off. After 

 they are dropped, the farmer takes no further pains, except to 

 feed his cows well. They have abundance of good clover feed, 

 and never pretend to milk their cows when their calves are with 

 them ; and the consequence is, the calves soon attain to a large 

 size when they begin to get some of the sweet feed with their 

 milk. This mode makes calves of large development, and car- 

 ries out to perfection all it was intended the animal should be. 

 It is a question in my mind whether we do not make a mistake 

 in taking our calves from the cows when they are, perhaps, only 

 two or three weeks old and feeding them ; whether we do not 

 stint them in their development and cramp the perfect symmetry 

 of their shape by doing it. Our lambs run with our sheep until 

 they can get their food for themselves or the sheep dry up, I 

 believe. I never heard of a man taking his lambs away from 

 his sheep to wean them ; I do not know but they do sometimes. 

 Colts run with their mothers until they are of sufficient age to 

 get their food for themselves, and their stomachs are sufficiently 

 strong to digest the food. So far as the mother can impart any- 

 thing to her offspring it is done. They are allowed to remain 

 with them until they would receive, probably, no more from 

 their mothers in perfecting their shape and form. It is a part of 

 the system of breeding with us to take the calves from the cows 

 at an early age and subject them to feeding processes. The 

 question is, whether that is not a mistake. I hope the farmers 



