514 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



at other times, as needed, to keep him in condition. If a bull is a * l hard 

 keeper " and requires an abnormal amount of feed to keep him in proper 

 flesh, he should be discarded, as he can not be expected to sire cattle 

 which will make economical gains. 



The value of using a good pure-bred sire is shown by the fact that 

 calves from a pure-bred bull out of common cows will average 125 Ibs. 

 heavier at one year of age than calves from a scrub bull and the same 

 cows, and furthermore they will sell for about 2 cents a pound more as 

 stockers and feeders. 15 



II. RAISING CALVES FOR BEEF; VEAL PRODUCTION 



794. The beef calf. Under the simplest method of beef production, 

 as on the range, the calves are dropped in the spring and run with their 

 dams during the summer. Under farm conditions some prefer to allow 

 the calves to suck only at stated intervals, 3 times a day at first, and 

 later twice. 



Where the calf remains with the dam her udder should, for a time, 

 be stripped night and morning lest neglect bring garget and destroy 

 her usefulness. If the calf is getting too much milk, as shown by 

 scouring, cut off part, remembering that the last drawn portion is the 

 richest in fat, and that richness as well as quantity causes digestive 

 troubles. (117) The greatest danger under this system comes at wean- 

 ing time, when, if the calf has not been taught to eat solid food, it pines 

 and loses weight. To avoid this, before weaning it should be taught to 

 eat hay and such concentrates as shelled corn, whole oats, wheat bran, 

 and linseed meal. The first departure from this simple and primitive 

 method is putting two calves with each cow, which is feasible where the 

 cow yields a good flow of milk. (792) 



Suckling calves should gain 1.75 to 2 Ibs., or over, per head daily if 

 their dams give a good flow of milk. At the Pennsylvania Station 16 

 Hunt fed 3 calves whole milk containing 4.6 per ct. of fat for 161 days. 

 They gained 1.77 Ibs. each daily, requiring 8.8 Ibs. of whole milk, and 1 

 Ib. of hay and 1 Ib. of grain for each pound of growth. Martiny 17 found 

 that from 3.5 to 6 Ibs. of new milk was sufficient to produce a pound of 

 gain, live weight, with calves between the first and fifth weeks, while 

 older ones required from 16 to 20 Ibs. Linfield of the Utah Station 18 

 found that up to 14 weeks of age the calf takes less dry matter than the 

 pig for 1 Ib. of gain, and after that more, possibly because of the greater 

 amount of roughage then used in the ration. Beach of the Connecticut 

 (Storrs) Station 19 found that calves required 1.03 Ibs., lambs 1.08 Ibs., 

 and pigs 1.36 Ibs. of dry matter in whole milk for each pound of gain 

 made. (117) 



"Farley, U. S. D. A., Farmers' Bui. 1,073. "Utah. Bui. 57. 



"Pfcnn. Rpt. 1891. "Conn. (Storrs) Rpt. 1904, p. 118. 



"Die Milch, 2, 1871, pp. 9-15. 



