342 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Prof. Van Pelt: Possibly if you could get cows to eat it. I 

 have never been able to get cows to eat blood meal. It has an 

 odor which does not seem to be objectionable to the calf because 

 it is mixed with the milk. I prefer blood flour. 



Mr. Wentw^orth: I would like to ask Prof. Van Pelt if he 

 applies that rule on feeding to the calf that is typically dairy 

 or to the calves that we are producing on our farms that have a 

 strong infusion of beef blood? That is the keeping of the calf 

 poor or in a reasonable growing condition. 



Prof. Van Pelt: My idea in bringing out that point was 

 this. I found in going over different states and being connected 

 with different dairy herds that the impression that the calf should 

 never be allowed to become fat has led many to believe that they 

 should not feed the calf any great amount for fear it would be- 

 come fat. The idea in feeding any young animal is to grow it. 

 Once we get a framework it is no trouble to put on fat. Corn 

 will do that, anything that contains carbohydrates will put fat on 

 an animal body. . I advise this in raising a beef calf or a dairy 

 calf, more especially however, the dairy calf, but I consider jt 

 an important point to stimulate bone and muscle growth in the 

 youngster, whether it is pig, calf, colt, and then from week to 

 week, you can shape the animal up to suit yourself. 



Mr. Wentworth : The tendency of the average grower of 

 calves or pigs is not to get them too fat, in fact the tendency is 

 entirely the other way. They are stealing all the time from the 

 younger and growing animals. There is a tendency along these 

 lines, but it is so seldom found through the general run of prac- 

 tice that it is hardly worth Avhile to emphasize it too much, and 

 the point I want to call attention to is that there are more calves 

 spoiled on our Iowa farms by stealing from them. That is the point 

 I have tried to bring out. If you ask a man why he treats a 

 calf that way he will say, "If I feed that calf too much it will be 

 too fat and never amount to anything." My idea is to give it 

 sufficient milk, oats and bran so as to supply the appetite of that 

 calf so he always has plenty to eat, but at the same time is not 

 fat, just growing nicely. When you see it one week and then 

 see it the next you will see so much gain. One fault in raising a 

 calf is starving it ; another mistake in feeding a young animal, and 

 just as great a mistake, is giving him feeds that will fatten him. 

 You take a young pig and as soon as you commence throwing corn 

 to that pig when he is six months old he will not get any bigger. 



