556 TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 



before long he will respond to it. Perhaps one of the best ways of ac- 

 complishing this end is by grooming. Begin by scratching with the hand, 

 later using the brush, and then the comb. As soon as you have won the 

 confidence of your calf, get a halter on him and break him to lead. At 

 first, it will be well to have dad or an older brother steady you on the 

 halter rope, unless you are heavy enough to handle it alone. Don't let 

 the calf get away from you the first time, and you will not have much 

 trouble in breaking him. Teach him to stand squarely on all four feet 

 and to hold his head up well. In other words, give him a good bringing 

 up so he will know how to act when he gets out in company at the 

 county and state fairs. 



Summer Management 



During the summer months, when the weather is hot and the flies are 

 bad, the calf should be kept in a cool darkened stall during the day, 

 with a light blanket to further protect it from the flies. By taking some 

 pieces of burlap and sewing them together, a very serviceable blanket 

 can be made. Be sure to fasten it under the calf's body and its hind 

 legs, so he will not get it off. There are a number of preparations on the 

 market for keeping flies away. These give more or less satisfaction, but 

 they are not good for the calf's hide and hair, making it rough and coarse 

 — just what you don't want. These preparations can be used to good 

 advantage to spray the walls and bedding, but I would never use them 

 on a calf. 



In the summer, when you have a day off now and then, take some 

 clean water and tar soap and give him a thorough washing. Wet him 

 down with a brush first, then lather him well, being careful to keep the 

 soap out of his eyes. Rub the lather in with a brush, and lather again. 

 After this, rinse him off with clean water, and be sure to get all of the 

 soap out. Finish up by rubbing the coat with your hand to get all of the 

 water possible out of his hair, and it will dry more quickly. 



There has been a great deal of discussion the past year on the value 

 of pasture for baby beef calves. However, the general opinion seems 

 very much against this practice. I have seen personally a good number 

 of calves which were coming fine until they were turned on pasture, 

 and then they left their feed and didn't "come back" as they should have 

 done. There is little to be said for this system of management. If the 

 calves are to be turned out on pasture, they should be turned out as 

 soon as the pastures begin to come on and sparse pasture at that. The 

 less they get the better. They should be turned out at night only. 



About two months before fair time, it will pay you to watch your calf's 

 middle. If he is getting at all paunchy and full in the middle, you will 

 want to cut down on the amount of the hay you are feeding. By doing 

 this, you can give your calf a much trimmer appearance, and, when he 

 is dressed out, there will be a lower percentage of waste. High dress- 

 ing percentage is something every feeder and packer buyer gives much 

 attention. The neat, trim, high dressing calf always sells higher when 

 he gets to market. 



It is well to let your calf have all the hay he wants up to the time 



