CALVES ON GRASS-LAND 163 



June. For the first day or two a couple of hours or 

 so would be long enough, so as to get them accustomed 

 to the pasture grass and open-air life. After the first 

 week they may be left out altogether. The gruel and 

 cake mixture may be given in the same way as above, 

 but the mid-day meal should be abandoned for two 

 reasons : 



(a) They do not need it when they can eat grass. 



(b) To encourage them to eat grass only in the 



middle of the day when the dew is off. 



The effect of this interesting device is that the 

 calves live on " dry " grass chiefly, and thus do not 

 suffer from husk or hoose to the same extent. After the 

 night feed of gruel, followed by concentrated dry food 

 mixture, they lie down all night and hardly get up till 

 called to the morning meal, after which they lie down 

 again till 10 or 11 A.M. The middle part of the day is 

 then spent in eating grass, and it is always advisable 

 to keep them on a dry " short " pasture. It is generally 

 advisable to keep them off young clover, or a mixture 

 of rye grass and clover, in the autumn. 



XXIII. DAIRY CATTLE. 



Dairy cattle are kept mainly for the production of 

 milk ; but as milk is a perishable article of diet, it is 

 necessary either 



(a) To sell or use it immediately ; or 



(b) Make it into butter or cheese. 



Butter should keep fresh and good for a week 

 or a fortnight, while cheese would not be ripe and 



