134 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK r. 



factory. Where economy in manual labour is a matter of moment, this 

 plan has obvious advantages. We believe that one calf, or at most two 

 calves, might be taken with profit and advantage from heifers on classes 

 of land that are specially adapted for the rearing of young cattle. Two- 

 year-olds, and occasionally extra strong yearlings, might be served in 

 time for the calves to drop as the grass is coming in late spring or early 

 summer. Their own calves might be left to run at their feet until they 

 are, say, three months old, when these might be weaned, and each 

 young cow got to take another in the place of her own. Supplemental 

 f6od might be given to her from this point, with the twofold object of 

 increasing the flow of milk for the support of the young calf, and of 

 improving her own condition preparatory to her being made fit for the 

 shambles, which she should be during the ensuing winter. She would 

 be marketed for beef at a comparatively early age, and she would have 

 brought up two calves, of one of which she was the dam. If made really 

 fat before being disposed of, she would realise the full value of the best 

 heifer beef, for she would show little or no trace of an udder. We 

 have known of not a few instances in which this system has been 

 followed with satisfactory and profitable results, especially where the 

 circumstances were such as to render it desirable to provide a supply 

 of home-reared cattle, and yet incur a small labour bill. In other 

 cases, a second crop of calves is in the habit of being taken before the 

 dams are made ready for the fat market. But the drawback of this 

 second season's calf-rearing is the danger that the mothers will have 

 an unmistakeable cow-like look even after being dried, and con- 

 sequently sell at the reduced price of cow-beef when they come to be 

 marketed." 



The value of Mr. Gillespie's paper is enhanced by the records of 

 sound practice which he quotes from reliable breeders in various parts 

 of the country. Some of these we re-produce for the benefit of our 

 readers, selecting for this purpose four from England, two from Scot- 

 land, and two from Ireland. 



The mode of rearing pursued by Mr. John Treadwell, Upper 

 Winchendon, Aylesbury, Bucks, though somewhat peculiar, is at the 

 same time very successful. He sells his milk to the Anglo- Swiss 

 Condensed Milk Company, which has a factory at Aylesbury, seven 

 miles from the farm. The class of cows kept are what Americans 

 would term " grade " Shorthorns. The farm is a mixed one of about 

 380 acres of arable and 760 acres of grass land. In addition to keeping 

 a dairy of cows for milk, Mr. Treadwell rears all his home-bred calves, 

 the heifers being retained as cows and the steers fattened for the 

 butcher. He also breeds Shire horses, and keeps a flock of Oxford 

 Down sheep which has a world-wide reputation. At present Mr. 

 Treadwell is milking 130 cows. These begin to calve in September, 

 the calving season being almost entirely over by the end of January. 

 The cows are liberally fed at all seasons. The Sunday morning's milk, 

 not being sold, is skimmed and the cream churned into butter, this 

 single meal of skim-milk being largely utilised for the rearing of 

 the calves. Being boiled on the Monday, it keeps during the winter 



