82 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



SEPT. 13, 1843. 



REARING OF CALVES. 



We take tlie folloivinj extracts from spocchea 

 made at the annual meeting of the Yorkshire (Eng.) 

 AgriciiUiiral Society : 



Earl Spencer saiJ, that one of the groat objects 

 of this Society, and one of the matters which ren- 

 dered it useful to the country, was the bringing to. 



to the age at which a heifer slionid breed, in his j blood than others ; for instance, a good cuddcr 



opinion, It ought not to breed before it was two 

 and a half years old. lie thought it would be im- 

 prudent to allow a heifer to breed before that age, 

 and he thought if the breeding was delayed beyond 

 that time, the animal would be most likely to get 

 so fat as not to breed at all. 



With respect to the next question, his practice 



gether practical men to discuss the subject of their j^^j njways been with calves born previous to the 



farming proceedings, and thus impart to one anoth- 

 er the information which each was enabled to give. 

 Though he claimed for himself, in a certain de- 

 gree, the name of a practical farmer, especially in 

 the rearing of stock, yet he had not the vanity to 

 put himself in comparison with those who had been 

 brought up to farming from their youth. He had 

 EUgf;ested last year, that one subject for discussion 

 at this meeting, should be the rearing of calves. 

 It was a subject to which he had paid the greatest 

 attention, and therefore it would only be consider- 

 ed right that he should begin the discussion on the 

 present occasion. 



He should begin by stating what his practice 

 had been on the subject. He had two farms of a 

 very different description. One of them was at 

 Wieston, in Nottinghamshire, where he had scarce- 

 ly any good lam! ; his other was in Northampton- 

 shire, where he had scarcely any bad land. He 

 reared calves on both farms, and the treatment he 

 gave them was, of course, very difficult, but they 

 produced an equal result of success. He thought 

 it right to state what these results had been. At 

 this time last year, he had 103 cows and heifers 

 old enough to breed from; the produce of which 

 had been S.'i calves during the year, 80 of which 

 were now alive. On his farm in Northamptonshire, 

 he had only UO cows at the same time last year, 

 old enough to breed from, the produce of which 

 was 14 calves, all of which were now alive. He 

 was afraid that some would say that thrs was an 

 expensive practice ; but he still thought that if 

 bred upon poor land, that practice which produced 

 a large number of healthy calves was the one 

 which ought to be adopted. His practice in Not- 

 tinghamshire was, that in the first three months 

 the calves should be kept upon new milk; the 

 next month upon new milk and skim milk ; and 

 the next three months upon skim milk mixed with 

 boiled linseed. After six months, his calves were 

 put entirely upon grass, and in winter upon turnips. 

 There was another question which, although not 

 directly, might indirectly be considered in refe- 

 rence to this subject, and that was, whether the 

 system of breeding in-and-in was good. He de- 

 nied that that was a iiiischievous principle, and he 

 could speak from his own experience on the sub- 

 ject. Since he had adopted that plan, during the 

 last fourteen years, he had raised more calves in 

 proportion to the number of his cows than former- 

 ly. The constitution of his calves was better — he 

 had fewer deaths — and more calves. That was 

 his success during the last fourteen years, not- 

 withstanding the breeding in.and-in system which 

 he had practiced. He did not believe there was 

 any peculiar merit in the system — but he did think 

 there was not any positive disadvantage if it was 

 done with judgment. 



Mr Henry Colman, a gentleman from America, 

 here proposed a scries of questions bearing upon 

 the rearing of calves, to which 



Earl Spencer replied. Mr Colman had put three 



end of June, to turn them out to grass. If calved 

 before the Inlter end of snmmer, or the beginning 

 of autumn, he turned them out to grass next sum- 

 mer; but if calved in the spring, he turned them 

 out immediately. He did not allow the calf to 

 suck beyond two or three days — he thought it de- 

 sirable that the calf should remain with the cow 

 two or three days, during which period the calf 

 was licked by its parent, and this was exceedingly 

 beneficial to it. After that process the general 

 rule was to take the calf away, and give it some 

 new milk — not to let it suck. He had tried the 

 other method, but found the calves were always 

 more backward when taken from sucking, than 

 when taken from new milk. 



Mr E. B. Beaumont next rose, and offered a few 

 observations on the plan which he adopts in rear- 

 ing calves. With regard to the breeding in-and- 

 in, he attributed the success which had attended 

 Lord Spencer, not to the principle of in-and-in 

 breeding, but to his lordship's own care and man- 

 agement. Whether or not his lordship had had 

 success in in-and-in breedins', he was sure they 

 would all agree that his lordship had, out-and-out, 

 the best stock in the country. 



masticator. Those that give bloody milk are ( 

 that class. If you will observe their milk veinii 

 you will find them unusually large — showing lliei 

 are ton much forced by the overflow of blood, ai 

 all milk proceeds from blood. 



In the course of my practice as a veterinary sui 

 geon and cow-leech in Lincolnshire, England, I al 

 tended a great many cows giving bloody n'ill 

 The disease is very dangerous on that rich soil, a, 

 It often turns to milk fever, commonly called dowr< 

 fall, rendering the cow unable to get up whe 

 down. 



Cure. — Copious bleeding in the neck-vein, an 

 drench with 1-4 pound of dissolved alum in 1 qua 

 of water, and add to it 1 quart of stale wine. 

 DAVID DICKINSON, 

 Veterinary Surgeon and Cow Leech. 



Louisville, Ky. 



BLOODY MILK. 



Below we publish three answers to a call of a 

 subscriber for suggestions for the cure of cows 

 that give bloody milk. The first is from a practi- 

 cal farmer in this vicinity. — Louisville Jour. 



Messrs. Editors — T send the following recipe 

 for cows that give bloody or slippery milk. I have 

 always immediately relieved them by giving them 

 (say morning and evening,) a piece of poke-root, 

 (or as it is called in the Eastern States, garget 

 root,) about as big as a man's thumb. They will 

 readily oat it , by cutting open a potato and slip- 

 ping the root into it. Yours, &c. C. 



Messrs. EitUors — In answer to the inquiry con- 

 cerning bloody milk, in your paper, I would say, 

 bloody milk in cows is generally the result of irri- 

 tating and acrimonious food. If the udder seems 

 to be influenced, is iriitable and tender to the 

 touch, yeast and soapsuds applied warm, will bo 

 useful. If it is swelled and hard, the smoke of 

 burnino' loaf suirar will often be a relief. The 

 blood should be milked out three times every day, 

 or be evacuated by making incisions with a knife. 

 Marsh mallow fherba altheaj common mallow (her- 

 ba mulvae,) with giniiber salts, or common salt, in 

 large quantities, gentle exercise and good teed, 

 are usually effective remedies. A change of pas- 

 ture sometimes will efi'ect a cure. Bloody milk is 

 not of itself a disease. The farmer has the power 

 of preventing it by good food. 



E. HEERINGEN, Veterinary Surgeon. 



Louisville, Aug. 4. 



questions to him, which he would answer accord 



ing to his experience and practice. With respect ' in general has been rank. 



Messrs. Editors — This season has been very 

 rainy. Vegetation took place early, and the grass 



Some cows make more 



From the Massachusetts Spy. 



AN ANT FIGHT. 



Mr Editor — Whilst rambling in the fields, I wi 

 nessed a scene of interest, one which I think got- 

 far to demonstrate that some insects possess reii 

 soning faculties. The incident referred to, was 

 pitched battle between two near republics of ants- 

 the bone of contention evidently being the posse 

 sion of a grasshopper, which lay crushed midwi 

 between two hills, which were some twenty fe 

 apart. 



When first seen, the combatants were clusten 

 around the object of contest, grappling each olli 

 with their mandibles, spirting venom, and exerci 

 ing various maiicEuvres incident to a hand to liar 

 fight. Suddenly, a cessation of hostilities wi. 

 agreed upon, and the combatants left the fiel 

 each party returning to its re.-ipective hill, leavii 

 nine of their number outside the works, who imm' 

 diately mounted each a tall blade of grass, seen 

 ing to act as sentries, which in fact was their o 

 fice, for, upon one of the hills suddenly poiirc 

 forth myriads of tiny warriors. They descendt 

 from the look-outs, and went into the ciladc 

 which, in its turn, sent forth a martial throng. 



One body emerged from its sally ports withoi 

 any regard for order, till a space of some three i 

 four feet had been passed over, when they dcplo; 

 ed to the right and left, till they formed an extent 

 ed front of 6 feet, their right resting on the ban 

 of a small pool, and the left on a rock about S 

 inches high. The opposite party in coming forti 

 exhibited a more finished disposition. From thri 

 outlets, they advanced in couples and trins, alte 

 iiately, each trio moving in a direct line for tl 

 centre of their opponents' line, and halting whe 

 within three feet; the couples proceeding on a 

 angle drawn from their hill, to the extrenje rigl 

 and left of their foes. The right couplets took i 

 a position on a small knoll about 5 feet from tl 

 enemy's rock, and two in rear of the trios, whi 

 the left continued its march until the pool cause 

 a halt. An immediate retrogade movement toe 

 place, and the body posted itself in line, extendiii 

 from the right of the trios, (and forming a triang 

 with it,) to the bank of the pool. Both parties no 

 remained stationary a few moments ; then, strikin 

 their heads violently on the ground, and raisin 

 themselves erect, the trios rushed to the fight, tl 

 couplets remaining stationary. The movement i 

 the trios was met by an immediate advance of tl 

 right and left of the line, (the centre gallant! 



