318 CATTLE-BREEDING. 



chances are against him. If a little cream or 

 butter is of more concern to the owner than the 

 highest good of a valuable calf, of course then 

 the calf must get on as best he may on some 

 substitute for mother's milk; but if there is any- 

 thing which really takes its place I have never 

 seen it. If possible, then, let the calves have 

 free and full access to their "base of supplies." 

 The calf is perhaps best off if allowed to have 

 free run with his dam for some months. Its 

 delicate stomach is best suited by frequent 

 draughts of small quantities of milk. The cow, 

 on the other hand, is apt to be a better milker 

 if habituated to less frequent and more perfect 

 milkings of all the milk in her bag that she can 

 be made to "let down." Where interests thus 

 conflict a compromise which will do as nearly 

 as possible the most even-handed justice to all 

 is demanded. My system has long been to 

 allow the calf to run with the cow for three or 

 four weeks and then to separate them, and from 

 that time till it is about three months old the 

 calf is suckled three times a day morning, 

 noon, and night being allowed the first de- 

 mand on the milk supply, the cow being stripped 

 after the calf has had its fill. When the calf 

 is three months old the noon suckling is discon- 

 tinued and the other two kept up ordinarily till 

 it has reached the age of six months, which is 

 the usual age for weaning, although in a few 



