62 THE COMPLETE FARMER 



stomach from feeding on milk. It seldom pays to fatten a 

 calf beyond ten or twelve weeks. 



' Weam7ig and rearing Calves. A calf may be weaned by 

 being gradually accustomed to suck milk in a pail through 

 the fingers. Many are reared on very little milk mixed with 

 hay tea, linseed, or other slops; fed on straw in th^ winter, 

 and in summer on the common : such cannot be expected to 

 turn to much account. The best cattle are reared from the 

 teats, well wintered in good shelter, and full fed until they 

 attain their growth. Warmth and dry lodging are of the 

 utmost consequence to the improvement of all young ani- 

 mals. Calves may, however, be reared to good profit by 

 being suffered to suck a very moderate quantity daily, the 

 bulk of their food consisting of skimmed milk, thickened 

 with oat or wheat meal; their winter food being carrots or 

 Swedish turnips sliced, and cut straw, with a small quantity 

 of hay, daily.' 



The Grazier's Guide observes, ' If the calf be intended 

 for the butcher, it may be taken from the cow in about a 

 week or ten days, and fed the remainder of the time by 

 hand ; but the time of taking the calf away must be deter- 

 mined by the state of the cow's udder ; for unless that be 

 free from kernels and indurations, the calf must be allowed 

 to suck, as the jolting of its head is the means of healing or 

 restoring the udder, and preventing the downfall or inflam- 

 mation in this part, ^vhich might cause much trouble, and 

 eve.i endanger the life of the cow. 



' But if the calf is intended to be reared, it should not be 

 weaned until at least six wrecks or even two months old, 

 whether male or female. For such there is no food like the 

 cow's mitk ; and if she does not yield a sufficient quantity, 

 that of another ought to be had recourse to. It is an incon- 

 trovertible fact, that the longer a calf sucks, not only the 

 larger and stronger will it become, but it will also acquire a 

 much better form and more robust health.' 



Calves which come early should be preferred for the rear- 

 ing. Those which come late do not acquire sufficient 

 strength to bear the cold of winter ; they languish, and are 

 reared with difficulty. Calves should not be weaned too 

 suddenly, but by little and little. The less they are able to 

 eat, the more they should be allowed to s\ick ; after a while 

 they may be brought to take it from the pail. This is done 

 by placiixg the hand in the milk, with the palm upwards, and 

 under the milk, while the fingrers are raised above the sur- 



