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first, which is the thinnest of the milk, and not be permit- 

 ted to overcharge its stomach. Lumps of soft chalk are 

 usually placed for the calf to lick, as an absorbant to neu- 

 tralize the acidities engendered in the stomach from feed- 

 ing on milk. It seldom pays to fatten a calf beyond ten 

 or twelve weeks. 



" A calf may be weaned by being gradually accustom- 

 ed to suck milk in a pail through the fingers. Many are 

 reared on very little milk mixed with hay tea, linseed, or 

 other slops ; fed on straw in the winter, and in summer 

 on the common : such cannot be expected to turn to much 

 account. The best cattle are reared from the teats, well 

 wintered in good shelter, and full fed until they attain their 

 growth. Warmth and dry lodging, are of the utmost 

 consequence to the improvement of all young animals. 

 Calves may, however, be reared to good profit, by being 

 suffered to suck a very moderate quantity daily, the bulk 

 of their food consisting of skim-milk, thickened with oat 

 or wheat meal ; their winter food being carrots or Swe- 

 dish turnips sliced, and cut straw, with a small quantity 

 of hay, daily." 



" The Grazier's Guide," observes, " If the calf be in- 

 tended for the butcher, it may be taken from the cow in 

 about a week or ten days, and fed the remainder of the 

 time by hand ; but the 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 down- 

 fall or inflammation in this part, which might cause much 

 trouble, and even endanger 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 



