IMPORTANCE OF RAISING CALVES 249 



times. So intense does the mother love become during the 

 period of veal making, that at the end of six or eight weeks, when 

 the calf is finally removed, the mother not infrequently will 

 . hunt for her calf, bawl aboiit and hold up her milk until going 

 nearly or quite dry. If the cow is later to be milked it will be 

 found a decided detriment to allow the calf so long a period 

 with its mother. 



Occasionally a cow that is hard to milk or otherwise dis- 

 agreeable, may be turned over to calves and suckled by them, 

 one after another,- and thus be made to return good value during 

 a period of stress. 



The Importance of Raising Calves. — Many times the ques- 

 tion has been raised whether it were preferable for individual 

 dairy farmers to raise their own calves or to biiy " springers " 

 when fresh cows are needed. Obviously someone must raise 

 calves if the number of cows is to be maintained. The economy 

 of the practice of dairymen living near cities, producing milk 

 for market use, in purchasing cows as needed and making no 

 attempts at raising young stock will not be questioned. Farmers, 

 on the other hand, who keep a limited number of cows and who 

 have large quantities of hay and com fodder for consumption 

 should by all means raise their own young stock rather than to 

 trust to the market. It is common observation, too, that the 

 specialized dairymen near the cities are better judges of cows 

 than are most farmers, and that where possible it is desirable that 

 the best of the city dairy cows be bred and that the young stock be 

 raised on the farm farther back from the cities. Certain it is that 

 if improvement is to be made in the class of cows kept, calves 

 must be reared from the best individual cows. 



Fall calves have the advantage over those bom in the spring. 

 During the first few weeks of the calf's life he lives almost 

 wholly upon milk, whether there be blue grass or snowdrifts 

 just outside the barn. As he matures, more feed, especially 

 grain, is consumed. All this can take place in the winter as 

 well as in the summer. The October or JSTovember calf will, by 

 May, be old enough to make use of pasture and should be given 

 a moderate amount of it. The autumn calf then reaches its 



