CHAPTER XXIV 



CALF RAISING 



Nature's system in the matter of calf raising is apparently 

 that the calf should be born in the spring time; should suckle 

 its dam until six or eight months old; and during this time 

 gradually work onto' grass and dry feed. This, however, is en- 

 tirely too extravagant for the present conditions of life in the 

 dairy sections of the country. By this system the owner of 

 the cow realizes an income on his investment equal only to the 

 value of the calf at the end of the year. 



Furthermore, cows as now developed for dairying will pro- 

 duce from two to ten times as much milk as needed by the calf 

 and the value of butter fat on the market is too high to warrant 

 its being fed in large amounts for a long time to calves. 



Under the cheap land and scarce labor conditions, where 

 beef husbandry is preeminently the form of livestock found most 

 profitable, the system of raising the calves upon their dams is 

 unquestionably correct. Under opposite conditions, namely, 

 high-priced land and more abundant labor, it is unprofitable 

 indeed to permit the calf to consume whole milk for a period 

 longer than is really necessary to get it well started. The general 

 livestock and grain farms of the country will therefore present 

 problems varying all the way from one extreme to the other. 



Veal calves are often produced in order to obviate the neces- 

 sity of milking for a period of six to eight weeks during the 

 growth of the calf. While this system has the advantages of 

 slightly lessening the labor on the farm, the disadvantages are 

 apparent when the calf is removed. Not alone has the calf been 

 consuming 30-cent butter fat and converting it into 10-cent veal, 

 but there is in nearly all cases a decided falling off in the amount 

 of milk which the mother will give after the removal of the calf. 



Cows care very little indeed for their calves at the time of 

 birth, but their affection increases rapidly as they are permitted 

 to clean them off and especially when the little things suckle a few 

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