CATTLE FEEDING. 235 



unnecessary that he should feed new milk longer than one 

 or two months. After that period, the calf may be fed 

 upon the skim-milk, and linseed or flax-seed gruel, with an 

 excellent chance of growing a prize animal. In thirty to 

 sixty days the calf will have made an excellent start and be 

 ready for the modified diet. And if the calf is to be taught 

 to drink, it is better to do this when six to ten days old. It 

 will learn easier at that age than later, and the cow will 

 give more milk through the season than if the calf is per- 

 mitted to suck longer. The milk being fed warm from the 

 mother, the calf will make a growth not perceptibly differ- 

 ent from one that sucks. This blooded calf should have 

 the free run of a dry yard, with a little hay or grass to eat, 

 that it may early develop its first stomach and chew its 

 cud. A small field of grass in summer is still better. 

 When the time comes for feeding skim-milk, the ration 

 may be made about as nutritious as the new milk by add- 

 ing to it flax-seed gruel, made by boiling a pint of flax- 

 seed and a pint of oil-meal in ten to twelve quarts of water, 

 or flax-seed alone in six times its bulk of water. Mix this 

 one to two parts with skim-milk and feed blood-warm. 

 Let the calf have its fill twice per day, at ( regular times, 

 until six months old. During this time teach it to eat a 

 few oats, and in case of a tendency to scour, give, for a 

 meal or two, in the milk, a quart of coarse wheat flour, 

 sometimes called by farmers canel. It will be perceived 

 that the oil of the flax-seed will make good the loss of the 

 cream in the milk in fact it is a ration as rich as milk 

 itself; and we have seen calves raised upon it quite the 

 equal of calves running with the dam. We have also used 

 flax-seed and pea-meal to make the gruel to mix with the 

 skim-milk, and it has proved an excellent combination. 



Dairying under the improved system introduced in the 

 factory, has become, profitable; and the discovery has been 

 made, that butter and cheese of excellent quality may be 



