FARMERS' REGISTER— TREATMENT OF CALVES. 



269 



out to visit the new volcano, is surrounded by hot 

 6pring.=!, petroleum pits, and caverns of sulphur 

 which still smoke; and about five centuries aijo it 

 was entirely destroyed by an eruption. Though 

 the town has been renewed, it has never recovered 

 its former prosperity. Its population, which Avas 

 60,000 at the time "of the awful catastrophe, now 

 eearccly ainounts to 18,000. 



ON XriK BREEDING, REARING, FATTENING, 

 AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF NEAT CAT- 

 TLE. 



Extracts (Vom the last edition (1833) of tlie "Complete Grazier." 

 [Continued from page 213, Vol. II.] 



On the treatment and rearing of Calves. 



The importance of forv/arding calves to matu- 

 rity with the greatest possible advantage to the 

 full developement of their natural qualities, has 

 necessarily called firth all the ingenuity of the 

 most expert breeders. The most approved, and 

 certaini}- the best general plan, is to adhere as 

 closely as possible to nature; but various modes of 

 treatment having been adopted in different coun- 

 ties, we shall endeavor to bring into one view eve- 

 ry useful fiict connected with this subject. 



A tier the calf is produced, the cow unitbrmly 

 shows an inclination to clean its skin, by licking 

 off, with her tongue, the slimy matter adhering to 

 the young animal. To facilitate this object, it is a 

 frequent practice to throw a handful of common 

 salt over the calf, or to rub a little brandy on it, in 

 case she should disown it, which will cause the 

 dam speedily to perform this necessary duty; and, 

 about an hour after the birth, half a pint of luke- 

 warm gruel is commonly given to the calf, in or- 

 der to prevent it from taking cold, in lieu of the 

 beestings, or first milk drawn from the cow. But 

 however commendable may be the practice of ad- 

 ministering gruel — and its use, for the purpose re- 

 commended, is not meant to be denied — it should 

 yet be recollected that the beestings is provided by 

 nature as the first aliment of the newly born ani- 

 mal; that it is a strong and viscid fluid of a pecu- 

 liarly nourishing quality, and therefore a))pears as 

 if intended for the very purpose of early invigora- 

 tion. The practice which prevails, of depriving 

 the calf of this nourishment is, therefore, objec- 

 tionable; nor is there any sound reason why it 

 should not be given, notwithstanding the admi- 

 ziistration of gruel. 



There are two modes of feeding calves: — one is, 

 to permit them to run about with the parent cow 

 the whole of the first year; the other mode is to 

 wean them when about a fJirtnight old, and bring 

 them up by hand. 



The former exjiedient is generally allowed to be 

 productive of the best cattle, and is adopted in 

 those counties where fodder is abundant and 

 cheap: in others, where it is found prudent to re- 

 serve a portion of the milk, the following plan is 

 pursued. From the time the calves are dropped 

 till they are able to support themselves, they are 

 allowed to run in the manner abovementioned, but 

 they are prevented froui sucking by means of a 

 small piece of leather having little sharp iron 

 spikes fixed upon the outside, which is tied on the 

 upper part of the calf's nose in such a manner as 

 to alio vv it to feed upon the grass without restraint. 

 Hence, as often as the animal attempts to suck. 



this instrument pricks the cow, and prevents her 

 from letting the milk flow till the arrival of the 

 milk-maid, who removes the muzzle; so that 

 while she strips two of the teats, the calf sucks 

 the other two, and after the process of milking is 

 completed, the muzzle is replaced on tkfc calf's 

 nose in the manner above mentioned. 



Whetiier calves are designed to be rai.sed f«r 

 breed, labor, or feeding, care should be taken that 

 they have a sufficient supply of good pasture; be- 

 cause, if the latter be scanty at first, they rarely, 

 if ever, attain to large growth. The best time 

 for weaning them is, therefore, about that i)eriod 

 of the year when the young grass acquires enough 

 succulence both to entice the appetite and to al-^ 

 ford complete nourishment without the aid of 

 other food. Calves which are dropped in October 

 or November will thrive greatly by the nourishing 

 pastures into which tliey may be turned in the en- 

 suing spring, if allowed to suck and property shel- 

 tered tJiroughout the winter; but the milk is too 

 scarce at that season to be commonly bestowed on 

 them; and winter- wearied calves seldom arrive to 

 much perfection. 



Various plans have been suggested, and tried 

 with considerable success, for rearing calves with- 

 out any, or at least with a small quantity of milk. 

 The time of weaning them varies, from one fort- 

 night till they are seven weeks old; but the latter 

 period is preferable, on account of the weak and 

 tender state of the calves, if separated from the^ 

 dam at an earlier age. In several counties of 

 England, calves, on heing taken from the cows, 

 are, with great pains, taught to drink* skimmed 

 milk, in a lukewarm state; for either extreme of 

 heat or cold is hurtful to the beast, and not unfre- 

 quenll}- produces fatal consequences; about twelve 

 weeks"after which, for three or four weeks, they 

 are fed with luke\\-arm milk and water. Small 

 wisps of fine hav are then placed within their 

 reach, in order to induce them to eat. Towards the 

 end of Mav thev are turned out to grass, being 

 taken in a 'few nights, when they have tepid milk 

 and water given them; which is usually continued, 

 thouffh gradually in rmaller proportions, during 

 the last month, till thev are able to feed themselves, 

 when they totally disregard it: care, however, 

 should be taken that the grass is short and sweet, 

 and by no means rank or sour. Indeed, a spirited 

 American agriculturistt is of opinion that calves 

 taken from the coavs arc much better in a pasture 

 Avithout water than in a ]msture of equal goodness 



* Of the patience and attention requisite in teaching 

 calves to drink, a vsrv inadequate idea only can be 

 formed by those who have never witnessed this tedious 

 process. When the animal has fasted two or three 

 hours, the first and second fino;er of the right hand, 

 being previously well cleaned, are presented to its 

 mouth; of these' it readily takes hold, sucking very 

 ea"-erly. In the mean time, a vessel of lukewarm 

 milk is placed, and supported by the left hand, under 

 the calf's mouth, and, while it is sucking, the right 

 hand is gradually suuk a little way into the mdk, so 

 that it may lap a sufficient quantitj' without stopping 

 its nostrils, which will necessarily compel it to cease, 

 from want of air. Should, however, either from acci- 

 dent or from too sudden precipitation of the hand into 

 the milk, the calf let go its hold, the attempt must be 

 repeatedly renewed till it is crowned with success. 



t Mr. E. L. Hommedieu. Transactions of the Ag- 

 ricultural Societvof N>w York. 



