LIVE STOCK breeders' ASSOCIATION. 193 



prior to September ist). Our early calves coming in September and 

 October, are allowed to stay with their dams in pasture the first three 

 weeks of their lives, not, however, with the herd, but in a small pasture 

 kept for this purpose. After reaching this age the dams go to pasture 

 with the herd, coming in to nurse morning and night, and in the pasture 

 used for nursing calves we keep a trough low enough to the ground so 

 that almost the smallest calf can reach and feed in this trough at all 

 times. It is surprising how soon a little calf will learn to lick a little feed 

 of bran and ground oats. As soon as the weather becomes stormy the 

 calves are brought to the barn into what we call the calf pen, a covered 

 shed twenty by fifty feet, with the upper half of the south wall open, 

 which is never closed. These calves are given the run of a yard of 

 about a half acre every day in winter, with plenty of fresh water and 

 feed before them all the time. 



The dams are brought to the barn evenings and kept in at night, 

 allowing the calves to nurse night and morning, and the cows going to 

 pasture every day in winter as in summer. 



At three months of age all the bull calves are removed to other 

 quarters, similarly constructed, and handled the same way. 



On the approach- of grass, say April i, we select a warm day, and 

 every animal on the farm is put through the dipping tank to eliminate 

 lice or any skin trouble that may exist. The cattle are then all classi- 

 fied as to ages and go to their respective pastures, yearling heifers in 

 one pasture, two-year olds in another, dry cows in another, the nursing 

 heifer calves to another pasture, the nursing bull calves to still another, 

 and the dams of each separated in different pastures, coming to the 

 respective yard to nurse. We continue feeding the calves on grass, so 

 that by the time they are ready to wean they never notice it, but go right 

 on with their growth, entering the second winter in fine condition and, 

 in fact, what a great many men would call fat. During this winter 

 every good day these heifers go right out to their pasture, coming in 

 at night to a yard with a shed open to the south, and are fed about four 

 quarts each night and morning of a ration consisting of two parts bran, 

 two parts ground oats, and one part ground corn by measure, with all 

 the good timothy or clover hay they care to run to. During this winter 

 and the following spring all of the bulls of this crop of calves should 

 be sold, and the following summer the heifers are fed once a day in the 

 pasture about one gallon of such feed as above described. By the fol- 

 lowing fall, or by January i, all of these heifers should be bred and in 

 calf, and are kept right out in pasture all winter with timber for shelter 

 and fed twice a day with plenty of good hay for roughness. 



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