Food for the Calf 329 



for breeding purposes, or where a breeder is selling 

 his increase at fancj' prices, the feeding- of whole milk 

 is not warranted by the value of the resulting animal. 



For this reason, most dairymen, particularly those 

 who sell milk as such, kill the calves at the age of a 

 few days, excepting perhaps during that portion of the 

 year when veal sells at a very high price. On the 

 other hand, many dairymen who have a supply of 

 skimmed milk, successfully feed this to growing calves, 

 when it is desired to raise heifers or even steers. Ex- 

 perience has shown that it is entirely practical to do 

 this, and it is certainly economical, for experiments 

 have demonstrated that as prices average, the cost of 

 a pound of growth so produced is about one -third 

 what it would be if whole milk were fed. 



As a guide in providing a substitute for whole 

 milk, it may be stated that a vigorous calf should 

 verj' early be made to eat daily not less than three 

 pounds of highly digestible matter with a nutritive 

 ratio at first not wider than that of whole milk solids. 

 The exclusive feeding of skimmed milk for anj^ length 

 of time is not to be recommended. Experience shows 

 that for young calves it should be so combined with 

 other materials that* a mixture is obtained which, so 

 far as possible, resembles whole milk in its nutritive 

 ratio. After the fat is removed from the milk, the non- 

 nitrogenous compounds are probably not present in 

 sufficient proportion to protect the pi'otein from waste 

 as fuel. No feeding stuff appears to be a more effi- 

 cient amendment of skimmed milk for the earliest 

 feeding than flaxseed meal cooked into a porridge. 



