118 EVERY MAN HIS OWN FARRIER 



scalded bran, mixed with a little ground corn,, should 

 also be given to the cow, twice or three times a day. 



If the calving be in summer, the cow and calf re- 

 quire to be kept under a shade, where they can be 

 protected from the sun in the day, from the cold in the 

 evening, and from damps and fogs at all times; and 

 the cow must be treated with meshes and warm water, 

 for two or three days, the same as in winter, but wil 

 not require so many of them. 



If the calf be intended for the butcher, it may be 

 taken from the cow after about a week or ten days, 

 and fed the remainder of the time by hand as here- 

 after directed; but this time of taking the calf away 

 must be determined by the state of the cow's udder ; 

 for unless that be free from kernels and indurations, 

 the calf must be allowed to suck, as the jolting of its 

 head is the means of healing or restoring the udder, 

 and preventing the downfall, or inflammation in this 

 part, which might cause much trouble, and even en- 

 danger the life of the cow. 



But if the calf is intended to be reared, it should 

 not be weaned until at least six weeks or even two 

 months old, whether male or female. For such, there 

 is no food like the cow's milk ; and if she does not 

 yield a sufficient quantity, that of another ought to be 

 had recourse to. It is an incontrovertable fact, that 

 the longer a calf sucks, not only the larger and stronger 

 will it become, but it will also acquire a much better 

 form, and more robust health. 



Calves which come early should be preferred fo^ 

 rearing. Those which come late, do not acquire suffi- 

 cient strength to bear the cold of winter ; they lan- 

 guish, and are reared with difficulty. Calves should 

 not be weaned too suddenly, but by little and little. 

 The less they are able to eat, the more they should bo 



