REARING OF CALVES 153 



one calf; e.g., on 2 per acre land the cow would no 

 doubt need to suckle two or three calves during the 

 season, while on 3 per acre land she may suckle her 

 own calf and another for say two months, then another 

 pair for the next two months, and finally have a 

 single calf up to the end of the period of lactation. 

 As far as is practicable the calves should arrive 

 not later than the end of March, because late calves 

 do not make anything like the same progress as early 

 ones. 



With pedigree cattle, one does not see cows rearing 

 two calves, as the fancy price obtainable for good 

 pedigree stock will admit of more expensive feeding, 

 and it is not unusual to find a calf taking all the milk that 

 two cows will produce, especially with the beef breeds. 

 Good breeding is, however, very important in com- 

 mercial cattle for beef production, as they generally 

 give a better return for the feeding in actual body 

 increase than inferior bred ones. In like manner a 

 milking pedigree is equally important for dairy cows. 



Calves fed in the natural method need very little 

 attention, as compared with the hand-reared ones, 

 and the feeding of the cows is the same in both cases. 

 When the calves are intended to mature early, they 

 should be taught to eat linseed cake or bran and 

 ground oats at one and a half to two months of age, 

 and the quantity per day should be increased as the 

 milk yield from the cow diminishes. The calves may 

 be getting anything between 2 to 6 Ibs. of concentrated 

 food per head per day by the time they are twelve 

 months old. Hay would at the same time be given 

 when grass is not available. 



Some persons appear to think that calves can be 

 " roughed," i.e., receive the roughest, mouldiest hay, and 



