BREEDS OF DAIRY CATTLE 187 



cation can be repeated. Care should be taken that none of the caustic 

 potash runs down over the hair, to injure the eyes and skin. 



In case the horns break through the skin before the caustic is 

 applied, it will probably be necessary to use a knife to cut off the but- 

 ton, after which a little caustic potash can be rubbed over the ex- 

 posed surface. There are a number of chemical preparations which 

 give good results, but a man cannot afford to pay very much for 

 them, as caustic potash is comparatively cheap and effective. 



Water and Salt. Calves enjoy clean, fresh water. A test was 

 made by weighing the water given to thirteen calves that ranged 

 from two to three months of age. It was found that 868 pounds of 

 water were consumed in seven days, or nearly ten pounds per day 

 per head. It was also noticed that the calves drank several times a 

 day, sipping a little at a time; even after their ration of milk they 

 would take a swallow of water. An automatic watcrer situated a 

 little above the surface of the ground is the best arrangement for 

 supplying this want. Calves seem to demand salt as well as older 

 stock, and this should be kept before them at all times. (Kan. B. 

 126.) 



Calf Ties. Where there are only a few calves to be fed, fairly 

 good ties can be had by the use of short ropes with snaps, to be fast- 

 ened to ropes around the calves' necks, supplied with rings. When 

 this method is employed the calves should be hitched far enough 

 apart to prevent their reaching each other after drinking their milk. 



By far the best method of fastening calves is by means of 

 stanchions. Here the calf finds his place and waits his turn. The 

 feeder can set a bucket of milk down to the calf and then feed 

 others, without fear of the calf tipping the bucket over. Where the 

 stanchions are properly constructed, the calves cannot reach each 

 other, and they can be left in the stanchions until their mouths are 

 dry. Calves will commence eating grain sooner when fastened in 

 stanchions than when tied with ropes. 



Scours or Diarrhea. Undoubtedly the greatest difficulty that the 

 calf-feeder has to contend with is scours. Here, as elsewhere, an 

 ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The principal causes 

 of this difficulty are overfeeding, sour milk, feeding cold milk, feed- 

 ing grain with the milk, using dirty milk-pails, very cold water, too 

 much water after periods of thirst, and irregularity in feeding. The 

 careful feeder will watch very carefully the effect of his feed upon 

 his calves, and as soon as there are any signs of scours the milk 

 should be reduced one-half or more and gradually increased again' 

 as the calf is able to stand it. A mild case of scours can usually be 

 cured in from one to two days by reducing the milk and adding 

 a teaspoonful of dried blood while the calf is drinking. In a test 

 that was made with five calves that were scouring at the same time, 

 two were fed dried blood after reducing the regular feed of milk; 

 the others were fed dried blood without changing the feed of milk. 

 In the former case the calves recovered after two feeds and the latter 

 after three feeds. 



