54 BEEFLIXGS 



It may be added this table was shown to, and discussed by, 

 hundreds of farmers visiting the University Farm, Cambridge : 

 these farmers were amazed at the figures, but the relative 

 results are only what anyone who has thoroughly investigated 

 the matter would expect : though neither group did particularly 

 well. The bullocks in bolk grtmps \vere sold to a first-class 

 firm of butchers, and the beef gave every satisfaction. The 

 figures refer to the last to? rftonths of the animals' lives. 



I have no experience of growing baby-beef with skim, or with 

 separated milk alone. I confess to being doubtful about its 

 possibility, and I am very far from satisfied that it is necessary 

 to rely upon this food, which is very imperfect when the calf 

 is still very young. Our neighbours, on the continent have in 

 the past supplied us with butter very cheaply, and separated 

 milk is die accompaniment of butter-making. I very much 

 doubt if it will ever be worth our while to try to compete with 

 Aon. Candidly, I would not wish to try to introduce the 

 conditions of Kfe among our agricultural labourers that I have 

 seen prevailing among the peasantry as a result of whose labours 

 good butter was sold on our markets in England at is. qd. a 

 pound. But, even if butter-making were likely to be lucrative, 

 the fat off 50 gallons of milk would only represent about 20 Ib. 

 of butter, and I feel sure the selling price of such butter would 

 be well spent, in most cases, in giving the beefling a good start. 

 If 50 gallons of milk were given whole, the "skim" from the 

 remainder of a cow's produce would be excellent food to supple- 

 ment oil cakes, once the calf were old enough to digest that form 

 of nourishment. They reach this stage at about the age of six 

 weeks : they begin to nibble food at about four weeks ; if they are 

 not taught, as they should be, to eat good food, they will nibble 

 all sorts of trash at that age ; at seven weeks they will eat suitable 

 foods in adequate quantity to allow of the whole milk being 

 gradually, if rapidly, discontinued. It is during the early days, 

 when their digestive apparatus cannot deal, properly with coarser 

 foods, that the whole milk proves itself so valuable. Holland, 

 whkh takes a large portion of her produce off her well-farmed 

 and fertile soil as butter or cheese, spares a proportion of whole 

 milk (and grcrs nothing but icholt milk) to make veal. I suggest 



