4i6 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [lo July, 1912. 



hand, the teats are a nice length, good colour and shape, and well sepa- 

 rated, it is indicative of milking capacity, and she may be depended on 

 to come into the bail on calving with a nice-shaped udder and teats. 



The newly-born calf is usually straightway introduced to the poddy 

 pen, and it is here, in most cases, that trouble arises. It should first be 

 allowed to suck the mother dry. This not only provides the calf with a 

 laxative to clear the digestive organs, but eases the cow, often preventing 

 after troubles. 



Care and patience should be exercised m giving the calf its first drink 

 from the bucket ; if taken quietly, it can nearly always be induced to drink 

 without even giving it the finger. After allowing it to suck the mother 

 dry, leave it in the pen for twenty-four hours, then, with a little patience, 

 the calf can readilv lie made to drink, especially if the mouth is 

 wetted with milk, or a little milk dropped from the fingers into the 

 mouth. New milk should be fed to the calf for the first two weeks in 

 small quantities at frequent intervals ; for the next two weeks, half new and 

 half skim ; then skim, with the addition of some recognised food. The 



HERKES CALF-FEEDER. 



best calves the writer ever saw were fed according to this plan, and after- 

 wards on skim-milk and boiled linseed. The linseed was boiled in a kero- 

 sene tin, and when cool it thickened to a jelly. A cupful of the jelly was 

 added to the skim-milk for each -calf. These calves were pictures of 

 health, and the cost of feeding was very small ; there were no signs of 

 scouring, and their coats were sleek and glossy. 



One of the most important things in the rearing of calves is to keep 

 them going, and not alloAV them to get a check, for every time the calf is 

 thrown back, through scours or other causes, it is a drag on_ the system, 

 which is hard to make up ere thev are introduced into the milking yard ; 

 therefore, everv attention should be gi\-en to the avoidance of scours and 

 the like set-backs. 



A calf, that is bred for the dairy herd, is bv-and-by going to have a 

 big strain on the system, and that system should be well nourished from 

 the verv first, so that all the organs of the body may grow and develop. 



In serving the feed out, it should be seen that each calf gets its proper 

 allowance, for, if all are allowed to rush the feed together, the strongest 

 calves get the mo.st ; then, again, some calves stand sucking another's 



