REARING OF DAIRY CALVES. 



53 



average daily gain and food cost per pound of gain do not vary greatly 

 from our results. Haj^ward comments upon liis results as follows: — 



While calves made but slight gains when first put upon the calf meal, later they 

 made as rapid gain as two which were fed a ration of skim milk to which some 

 grain was added. Those that were fed the calf-meal ration were so nearly like the 

 skim-milk calves in condition that it was impossible to tell from appearances which 

 were and which were not being fed the calf meal. . . . 



Those that have been raised upon the calf meal have not been troubled with 

 scours to any extent, and in tliis respect no difference could be seen between the 

 calf-meal and the skim-milk calves. . . . 



Some calves appeared to be much more vigorous and thrifty than others, would 

 take more kindly to the calf meal and do better than their less hardy neighbors. 



III. Calves fed Schumacher's Calf Meal. 



This meal, according to the manufacturers, is made from the residues 

 in the preparation of puffed grains, wheat and oat meals, together with 

 flaxseed meal, cottonseed meal and dried casein. It costs substantially 

 3.2 cents per pound at retail. It contains 15 to 17 per cent, protein, not 

 much over 1.5 per cent, fiber, some 7 per cent, fat, 2 per cent, ash and 

 about 60 per cent, of starchy matter. 



Method of Feeding. — This meal was fed to two grade Holstein calves 

 and one grade Jersej'' calf. Instead of following the directions outlined 

 by the manufacturers, there was added to each 4 ounces of the meal a 

 little cold water, and the material stirred to a paste. Then very hot 

 water was added, allowing substantially 1 quart of water to each 4 ounces 

 of meal, the mixture thoroughly stirred, allowed to cool and fed milk- 

 warm. The general method of feeding these three calves consisted in 

 giving whole milk for the first week, then gradually substituting skim 

 milk and tlie calf-meal gruel. The whole milk was entirely replaced at 

 the end of two weeks and the skim-millc and caK-meal gruels substituted. 

 In case of these three calves 5 quarts of skim milk were fed daily and 

 continuously as a basal food, together with 4 quarts of the caK-meal 

 gruel. In addition, after some six weeks, dry calf meal and rowen were 

 placed before the calves, and when some three to four months old the 

 calves were eating 1 pound of the dry meal daily, at which time the calf- 

 meal gruel and the skim milk were gradually removed. 



Results. 



