354 THE FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



450. Calf rations without milk products. An exam- 

 ination of the results of much experimental work shows 

 very clearly that strong, healthy calves can be raised 

 without skimmed milk or even milk of any kind after a 

 brief period, although the rate of gain may not be so 

 rapid as when whole milk or skimmed milk is available 

 for at least part of the ration. In these experiments, 

 where careful records have been made, mixtures of oat- 

 meal and other cereal products with linseed meal, thor- 

 oughly cooked, may be used to produce satisfactory 

 growth, even if growth is not so rapid as with milk prod- 

 ucts. This appears to be no disadvantage in the subse- 

 quent development of the animal. Even if skimmed 

 milk is available, cereal products and the oil-meal prod- 

 ucts make desirable amendments to the milk. 



The Dairy Division of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, in experiments with twenty-two animals, 

 has showed that calves make as rapid gain upon sour 

 skimmed milk as upon sweet skimmed milk, other experi- 

 ments indicating that whey may be used as a substitute for 

 skimmed milk, provided proper foods are combined with it. 



Hay tea is sometimes used as a milk substitute, but 

 it is a poor one. Only a small proportion of the nutrients 

 of hay is soluble, and the water-extract is a dilute and 

 comparatively innutritious food for a growing animal, 

 the use of which can be justified only in the absence of 

 milk in any form, and which, when used, must be very 

 liberally fortified by grain feeds. 



THE FEEDING OF LAMBS 



451. Feeding ewes with lamb. The first growth of 

 lambs is chiefly from the mother's milk and we have little 



