48 BEEFLINGS 



allowance must be made up to two or three gallons a day ac- 

 cording to their size ; this at first should be given at a proper 

 temperature and as regularly and punctually as all other 

 nourishment. The foods are similar to those to be mentioned 

 later. Now and then a cow shows herself very troublesome in 

 taking to foster-calves. The attendant must then stand by and 

 restrain her, as far as possible, from kicking; but when the cow 

 is tied by the head it is wonderful how skilful a calf becomes, 

 once it is a few days old, in avoiding her unkind attention 

 while feeding, and it is still more wonderful how little harm is 

 done by any kicks that may unfortunately get home. All this 

 is light work, requiring skill and attention rather than hard 

 labour, and the feeding, management, and watering form suit- 

 able employment for women; the cleaning of the boxes (and 

 calves should not be kept with the same accumulation of litter 

 under them as is allowable with older animals) is harder and 

 demands the services of a man. It is, of course, quite possible 

 to have the cows tied up in stalls in a cow-house and lead the 

 calves to them, but this, though it may save some little structural 

 accommodation, adds considerably to the labour bill. I have, 

 however, seen the system successfully carried on under almost 

 all conditions of housing. 



The other method pail-feeding can be successfully prac- 

 tised with a much smaller allowance of milk. With skilful calf- 

 rearing I know, by experience, that even 10 gallons of milk, 

 over and above the colostrum given by the mother during the 

 first three days after calving, will just give a start to a successful 

 beefling's career. But though this may be done by one specially 

 endowed with the qualities necessary for calf-rearing, such 

 people are exceptional. On the other hand, an allowance of 

 50 gallons of milk is sufficient to enable the average man to rear 

 calves which will make good carcases of baby-beef at the age 

 of 12 or 15 months. It is a fact, though the inexperienced may 

 doubt it, that very good calf-rearing is a special gift, akin to the 

 genius of the artist! Though the food used may be the same 

 both in quality and in quantity, some will produce plump, sleek 

 and thriving animals while others will turn out a bag of bones 

 covered with a scurvy skin. But all, by a little attention to 



