EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK- PART X. 549 



and quality of the calf's dam. Always test the dam's or nurse's milk 

 to see if it is sufficiently rich; if not, change at once. Some feed by 

 hand. This system has one great advantage. You can carry on the 

 feeding as long as you please, and can enrich the milk by adding 

 scalded oil-cake, flaxseed tea, eggs, or molasses, yet I put most faith in 

 suckling the youngster till he is eight or ten months old. Wean your 

 calves by degrees; that is, if they have the use of two nurses deprive them 

 of only one at a time. Feed the calf judiciously and frequently, giving 

 small quantities at a time; rather under than overfeed. Give them the 

 same mixture that I have prescribed for the show animals. Let them have 

 flaxseed gruel and molasses gravy in their ration, taking care not to 

 overfeed and induce scouring. 



"Feet. — Be most particular about the feet of your show animals. 

 Overgrown hoofs are a great eye-sore and excessive growth invariably 

 throws the animals off their hocks and hind legs. Feet should be fre- 

 quently dressed and kept in good shape. The tools necessary are a 

 heavy wooden mallet, an inch and a half chisel, a blacksmith's re- 

 pairing knife, and a strong rasp or flle. 



"Salt, Chalk, and Turf. — Never allow the animals to be without a 

 lump of rock salt within reach; also a lump of chalk. We all know the 

 beneflt of salt. It replaces the saline matter washed from the system 

 thi'ough various channels. It also greatly increases the flow of saliva, 

 therefore hastens fattening. Chalk counteracts acidity of the stomach, 

 which animals are subject to when housed and kept on rich feed; and 

 as the animals are deprived of access to earth or dirt you will find that 

 the best substitute is to provide them with a piece of fresh turf twice a 

 week, which they will greedily eat. 



"Temperature. — Cattle thrive amazingly well at a temperature ranging 

 from 45 to 50 degrees in winter. At 10 degrees higher they generally 

 sweat profusely. A thermometer ought to be in every stable. 



"Clipping. — When you have a few choice animals feeding during the 

 winter months for any particular purpose, such as exhibition, it is a 

 great advantage to have them clipped closely down their backs in a 

 line with the lower part of their hip bones, and continuing along the 

 upper part of the neck. Where warmly housed you will find this adds 

 greatly to the comfort of the cattle; it will prevent profuse sweating 

 and make easy the destruction of lice or other vermin. 



"Flies. — Where you have plenty of food, warmth, and stock, you will 

 have abundance of flies. During y season cattle do little good 

 unless you at once check the nuisance. There is nothing so perfect in 

 its results as darkness. 



"Shoiving in the Arena. — Some time previous to exhibition be careful 

 to train your stock to lead well and show themselves off to the greatest 

 advantage. The nearer an ox is made to stand in his natural state 

 the better — few can improve on Nature. Generally cattle in the show- 

 ring are twisted into every conceivable shape. With their heads high 

 in the air, their backs are consequently down, and their hind legs 

 stretched far from under them. This false and airy position no doubt 

 proves attractive to outsiders, but to the experienced judge it con- 



