THE EEAEING OF THE CALF 85 



to gorge itself with all the milk it can hold, but 

 this means disaster when artificially reared. 



The gospel of calf feeding may be stated in this 

 way : Feed moderate quantities of milk at frequent 

 intervals at about blood heat and out of a clean 

 and scalded pail. Probably the ideal would be to 

 feed a teacup full of milk a dozen times a day, 

 but three or perhaps four times is about the limit 

 under the conditions of practical dairy manage- 

 ment. The amount that may be safely fed will 

 vary through wide limits according to the size and 

 vigor of the calf, but for the first week from two 

 to four quarts a day will be enough. For the first 

 ten days or two weeks of the youngster's life it 

 should be fed whole milk, that is unskimmed milk, 

 fresh from its mother or some other cow. The 

 more vigorous and hearty the calf, the sooner we 

 may begin to substitute some skim-milk until at 

 three to five weeks old it will receive skim-milk 

 only. 



After the calf is a few days old, it should have 

 before it a little lock of bright early cut hay, pref- 

 erably clover or alfalfa, and also a box with a 

 handful of ground grain. A mixture of equal 

 parts of wheat middlings and ground oats, to- 

 gether with ten to fifteen per cent of oil-meal 

 (ground flax-seed cake) will make an excellent 

 grain ration. It is surprising how quickly a vigor- 

 ous calf will begin to nibble a little hay and lick 



