PRACTICAL HERD MANAGEMENT 1003 



want in a herd bull. 'After getting his growth he 

 should never vary 100 pounds summer or winter. 

 This letting down and building up procedure is 

 always disastrous. So far as my experience goes 

 the single service gets as many calves as the double 

 or triple service, provided the cows are in proper 

 season and healthy. A radical change of pasture 

 during a dry spell, ergot on the grass, changing to 

 silage, heavy feeding of cottonseed meal, etc., 

 have been the causes of charging up many a bull 

 with unsatisfactory service. 



* ' The pregnant cow should always be the herds- 

 man 's special care. She only drops one a year on 

 an average. To save a good calf means to save a 

 large part of the herdsman 's salary, sometimes a 

 year's salary. And right here is where you find the 

 greatest difference in herdsmen. Keeping the cows 

 bred up and saving the calves, far more than makes 

 or loses the salaries of the best men. When the 

 matron that is due has been on grass and raised 

 naturally little need be done, the calves usually 

 coming strong and healthy. The calves dropped on 

 the green sod seldom get infected. Of course you 

 have always the maggot, the screw worm or coyote 

 to remember, depending on your location. The 

 commonest evil is too much new milk at birth. Stale 

 milk has killed many a calf. Therefore see to it the 

 mother is properly stripped once daily even at 

 pasture, and more especially should there be a re- 

 tention of the placenta. It is astonishing how little 

 the calves need to live on during the first week and 

 how much damage can be done by too much, espe- 

 cially if the milk is stale or the mother at all 

 feverish. In winter the calf cot is all-important. It 

 should be cleaned and aired out every day and a 

 little slacked lime sprinkled. It is always worth 

 what it cost in the field. Do not wait till your 



