202 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



using him another year, he was killed, having been used long 

 enough. The other, we will say, served that same season a 

 reasonable number — perhaps four to six in a week, or one every 

 (Jay — not more. Few came a second time, and those for no 

 fault of his. The calves bear a striking resemblance to the sire. 

 Some from the better cows, look even better in some points than 

 himself, and few much worse. There is a remarkable uniformity 

 among them ; as they grow up they thrive better than those by 

 the low-priced one. They prove better adapted to the use 

 intended. On the whole, they are quite satisfactory, and each 

 pays annually in its growth, labor or milk, a profit over the cost 

 of food and attendance, of five or ten dollars, or more. If 

 worked enough to insure the exercise needful for vigorous 

 health, the bull may be' as serviceable and as manageable at 

 eight or ten years old as at two ; meantime he has got, perhaps 

 five hundred calves, which in due time become worth ten or 

 twenty dollars each more 'than those from the other. Which 

 now seems the wisest purchase ? Was the higher estimate 

 placed on the well-bred animal based upon ' fancy,' or upon 

 intrinsic value ? " Ephraim B. Thompson, Chairman. 



RAISING CALVES. 



HAMPDEN. 



Statement of Milo J. Smith. 

 I have tried nearly all methods of raising calves. I raised 

 them formerly by hand, that is, taught them to drink from the 

 pail, when from one to three days old, feeding them on new 

 milk, warm from the cow, from two to four weeks ; then changing 

 gradually to skim milk, that is, setting the milk for twelve hours, 

 then skimming,warmingand feeding, scalding in some middlings, 

 or oat meal, and so on until the cream was all taken from the 

 milk. We have also tried hay tea, as recommended in some 

 agricultural reports, but without any success whatever, and I 

 must say that I never raised what a good farmer would call a 



