FARM ANIMALS 101 



its mother and take all her milk in case the farm 

 is not conveniently situated for the disposal of 

 the milk as such. The calf may also be confined 

 and allowed to suck three or four times a day, 

 being given suitable grain as an additional ration 

 as soon as it is old enough to eat. According to 

 this system two or three calves may suck the same 

 cow at first, or, as the capacity of the calf increases, 

 he may take the milk of two cows. Wherever 

 there is a good opportunity of selling the milk or of 

 making butter or cheese from it the question at 

 once arises whether it is not possible to make more 

 from the fat of the milk in butter and to give the 

 calf substitutes for this fat in the form of grain. 



According to this system, which prevails exten- 

 sively throughout the dairy region, it is possible 

 to combine dairying and the production of fine 

 beef in the most economic manner. The milk is 

 skimmed by a hand or machine separator, the 

 fat sold as cream or in the form of butter and the 

 fresh warm skim milk fed to the calves. If the 

 purpose of the farmer is to raise baby beef, or 

 bring his animals to maturity as soon as possible, 

 it is somewhat of an advantage to have the calves 

 come in the fall. They may then be maintained on 

 skim milk and grain, with small amounts of rough- 

 age added, until spring when the grass starts. 

 They are then turned upon pasture and thus suffer 

 only a small check in their growth. At any rate, 

 this check in development is less than takes place 

 when the calf has been used to milk and grass dur- 

 ing the summer and has to be weaned and changed 

 to dry feeds in the winter. In general, however, 

 where no special attempt is made to produce baby 

 beef, the spring season is chosen by four-fifths or 

 more of the cattle raisers as the time for their 



