338 Feeds and Feeding. 



524. Producing veal on pastures. Krafft 1 reports the fatten- 

 ing of calves on the low lands of the Schleswig-Holstein marshes, 

 where veal of excellent quality is produced. One hectare (2.47 

 acres) of pasture is considered necessary to produce 600 kilo- 

 grams (1,320 pounds) of gain, or 534 pounds of gain per acre. 

 The flesh of such calves cannot be "veal" in the usual accepta- 

 tion of that term. 



525. Gain from skim milk fed calves and pigs. Meischmann, 2 

 reviewing the increase of calves and swine fed skim milk, con- 

 cludes that calves make greater gains from a given quantity of 

 skim milk than do pigs. (741, 869-71, 886-8) 



II. Bearing the Calf. 



526. Feeding for beef. Where beef is the principal object, the 

 calf is usually allowed to draw its milk supply direct from the 

 dam. In such cases few precautions are necessary, the most im- 

 portant being to see that the young thing does not get too much 

 milk, as this causes indigestion. If the calf remains with the 

 dam, the udder of the cow should be stripped clean night and 

 morning; neglect may result in soreness to the teats and udder, 

 ending in destroying the usefulness of the dam. If the calf is 

 getting too much feed, the supply should be diminished by strip- 

 ping the cow after allowing it to take only part of the milk, 

 remembering that the last milk yielded by the cow is the 

 richest in fat, (615) and that it is the richness as well as the 

 quantity that causes trouble. Where calves are separated from 

 their dams, at first allow them to suck three times daily, soon re- 

 ducing to twice a day. The greatest danger in this system comes 

 at weaning time, when, if the calf has not been properly taught 

 to eat solid food, it is apt to pine and shrink in weight, or at least 

 make little gain. To avoid this, teach it to eat a little grain 

 daily, using ground corn, bran, oil meal and hay. 



The first departure from the primitive system above described 

 is putting two calves with each cow, which is practicable and de- 

 sirable where the cow yields a good flow of milk. 

 . The sucking calf should gain 3 pounds per day for the first 

 month, 2.5 pounds for the second and 2 pounds for subsequent 



*Landw., 3, p. 163. * Molkereiwesen, p. 373, 



