436 REARING CALVES. 



hard dry food, is often critical for young animals ; and I have al- 

 ready said that it is one at which they frequently lose weight. 



If we reckon the daily increase from birth, that is to say, for 69 

 days of mixed alimentation, we have 1.5 lb. for the quantity. 



Crescent, born the 27th of June, Tveighed. .. S8.S lbs. 

 Eleven davs later 112.1 



Increase 28.3 per dav, 2.1 lbs. 



At the age of 37 days he weighed ISS.l 



Increase in 26 days 27.1 per day, 2.5 



Six days afterwards he weighed 202.4 



Increase in 6 days 14.8 per day, 2.3 



Another calf at "birth weighed 101.2 



At weaning, aged 41 days 189.2 



Increase 83.0 per day, 2.1 



These various observations give about 2.2 lbs. for the average 

 daily increase of a calf in weight during the period it is sucking. 

 Tlie'data of M. Perrault make a little higher, 2.T lbs. So that it 

 may be assumed that a calf which is receiving from 15 to 19 pints 

 of milk in the day, will be gaining 2.48, or very nearly 2^ lbs. in 

 weight per diem. 



It will readily be understood that in places where milk is of con- 

 siderable value, as in the neidiborhood of cities, the farmer may find 

 his profit in selling that article directly rather than in turning it into 

 veal or beef, more especially if the usage of the district be to give 

 the calves milk till they are three or even four months old. Noth- 

 ing, in my eyes, can justify such a needless expenditure of milk ; 

 especially since I have had an opportunity of witnessing what I may 

 call the '/ifi/u?Y7/ course of rearing cattle in the steppes of South 

 America. There the young animals only receive milk in any thing 

 like quantity for two or three wwks ; they soon get accustomed to 

 live on gra^s. In the warmer countries of the earth, too, cows give 

 much less milk then they do in tem])erate latitudes, and the secre- 

 tion also dries up much sooner. The value of the milk, and the 

 high price of butter and cheese, arc unquestionably at the bottom 

 of the immen.se slaughter that takes place in France among the 

 calves even at a very early age, when they are fat, but do not weigh 

 more than from lU) to 112 lbs. This 'circumstance undoubtedly 

 stands in the way of the production of meat in that country, and 

 causes the notorious scarcity of meat of the best cjuality. Of the 

 two millions of calves which it is calculated are slaughtered in 

 Franc>?, ,"oths arc killed before they are a month old, and when they 

 do not weigh, one with another, more than from 90 to 110 lbs. But 

 wc have seen that at two months old the weight will have increased 

 to from 15-4 to 170 lbs., more than half as much again ; so that, by 

 merely keeping the animals fur «ine month more, the quantity of 

 butcher-meat brought to market would be increased by about 

 120,000,000 lbs.* 



It does not by any means follow, however, as the excellent au. 

 thority 1 have (pioted seems to think, that this increase of butcher, 

 meat would add to the actual amount of food protlucetl by the agrL 



• Perrault de .Totonips, in Jonrnal d'Asfrlcnlturo, 1. r. 



