154 NOTES ON FIELDS AND CATTLE. 



time after the animal has been weaned and fed 

 wholly on grass. It is also said, that a greater pro- 

 portion of calves fed from the pail die of stomach 

 complaints than of those that suck the cow." Mr. 

 Bakewell adopted the oatmeal porridge and oilcake 

 treatment for his ordinary calves ; " the bull calves, 

 however, and high-bred heifers were suffered to re- 

 main at the teat until they were six, nine, or perhaps 

 twelve months old, letting them run with their dams, 

 more frequently less valuable cows or heifers." So 

 do great breeders, now-a-days, as a rule. In Ross- 

 shire the peculiar custom prevails of allowing the 

 calf two teats to himself, the dairy- woman engaging 

 the others ; under this treatment the calves are of 

 course kept apart from their mothers, being weaned 

 in October altogether ; from which period they are 

 fed on the finest of meadow hay that can be pro- 

 cured, turnips not being grown to any extent on the 

 large pastoral highland farms. 



The plan they have in Selkirkshire of rearing calves 

 is stated by Youatt to be as follows : " The calves 

 are fed three times in the day, and get two quarts at 

 each meal for three months ; after that the farmers' 

 wives begin to take c a stoup out of their bicker,' as 

 they term it ; giving them less and less, with a little 

 skimmed milk, until they are weaned. After this 

 the calves are generally turned out into coarse 

 pasture." 



This reminds one of the way in which a strong- 

 minded drunkard (would that they could be often 

 so) is said to have cured himself of drinking ; viz., 

 by putting an extra half wine-glass of water daily 



