500 Cultivation of Grafs Land. Suckling of Calves Buying in Sticklers. 



befides thefe, it is a common practice with fome to give their calves balls compofect 

 of flour, pounded chalky and milk, with the addition of a fmall quantity of common 

 gin, and fometimes a little tincture of opium. Of thefe balls they give two, about 

 the (ize of a walnut, once a day, or oftener, to each calf. Such balls, being very 

 nutritious, in fome degree fupply the place of milk, and at the fame time, from 

 the great fiimulus which they afford to the young animab, difpofe them to- fleep^ 

 and thereby increafe their difpofition to fatten : but where milk can be had in fuf- 

 ficient abundance, it is never worth while to have recourfe to thefe aids. When 

 the demands of the calves, however, are beyond the powers of the cowsi thefe balls 

 come feafonably to their relief. Occafional bleedings have alfo been advifed, to 

 prevent loathing the food and difeafes from plethora.* In order that the calves 

 may be provided with fuffrcient flore of milk, the paftures fhould be changed 

 whenever the cows are found to be deficient in this particular; and. in the winter 

 time they mould be well fed in the manner directed above. 



In this fyftem of management it is conftantly neceffary to be buying in calves 

 at a week or ten days old, 6r as they can be procured. The prices vary, accord 

 ing to the goodnefs and the time of year at which they are bought. In general 

 fucklers fetch the largeft price in fummer, when veal fells the cheapeft;. and the 

 reafon is, the fmaller number to be met with at that time than in thefpring. A 

 good fuckler can feldom be bought for lefs than 2OS-. and is often fold for 255. or 

 3os. They are kept till they fetch from four or five to feven or eight pounds.f 

 The bufinefs of fuckling was formerly reckoned to turn out to good advantage, 

 -when each calf throughout its fattening brought a profit to. the farmer of three 

 fhillings a week ; but at prefent the profit on fuckling is much greater. 



The calves that are fuckled by their own mothers are in general found &quot;to fatten 

 in a Ihorter time than thofe which are afterwards bought in to fupply their places : 

 the reafon of which is, probably, their not having been removed from the place 

 where they were firft dropped, and having always continued to fuck the rnilk moft 

 natural to them; which muft befuppofed more nutritious, and to agree better with 

 them, than that of any other cow. Befides, from the cows having lately calved, 

 the milk nourifhes and fattens in a higher degree than when they become ftale 

 milched. Cow calves are obferved to fatten more kindly than the male or. bull 

 halves ; and thefe laft are much more coarfe grained, and their flefh lefs delicate 



* Farmer s Magazine, vol. IJL I Synopfis of Husbandry, 



