GENERAL CARE OF CATTLE. |825 



animals; and second, because the close air and 

 the restricted space of stables are exceedingly 

 injurious to animals. With very small calves 

 dropped in midwinter constant stabling is no 

 doubt for a time an absolute necessity. They 

 ought not to be unnecessarily exposed to the 

 inclemency of the weather, but as soon as they 

 can safely be out of doors they should have a 

 daily outing, sufficient for exercise and for the 

 acquisition of a sturdy constitution. As for 

 summer calves there ,is rarely any need for 

 them to be stabled at all till they are large 

 enough to be put up for a part of each day to 

 be fed, which I find the most profitable way to 

 feed them. They should have ready access to a 

 grass lot, which should be clean and free from 

 mud, and large enough to afford good oppor- 

 tunity for healthful exercise, and not a mere 

 pen. There should be besides an abundance of 

 shade to protect the calves in the hot summer 

 days from the direct rays of the sun. 



Just how much out-door life shall be given 

 the calves must depend on circumstances. It 

 should be kept in mind, however, that the laws 

 of nature should never be violated except for 

 some good and sufficient reason. As the nat- 

 ural condition of cattle is one of unrestrained 

 out-of-door life, the aim of the breeder should 

 be to approximate this as nearly as may be. 

 Of course in the excessive cold winters of the 



