CALVES FROM BIRTH UNTIL ONE YEAR OLD 9 



in the milk, in the form of suitable adjuncts. This is 

 necessary, not only to secure satisfactory growth and 

 weight, but also to strengthen the digestive habit of 

 laying on flesh freely when the elements that produce 

 it are sufficiently supplied. They should not only be 

 kept in a good condition of flesh during the milk 

 period, but subsequently. The meat thus produced is 

 juicy and tender and is spoken of as " calf flesh." Up 

 to a certain limit, it exercises an influence on the quality 

 of the carcass subsequently. This influence, however, 

 in all probability, weakens as the period of calfhood is 

 receded from. When once lost this calf flesh cannot 

 be restored; that is to say, although the animal should 

 become fat again, the carcass will not be so juicy as if 

 it had never been allowed to become lean. 



It would be possible to secure and maintain excess- 

 ive fatness in calves reared for feeding, although in the 

 practice of growing them such a condition is the excep- 

 tion and not the rule. Fatness is excessive when it has 

 been secured at the sacrifice of growth, that is, of 

 bone and muscle. Such a condition may be produced 

 by feeding food too rich in carbohydrates and too lack- 

 ing in protein. Development otherwise possible will not 

 be attained by such an animal, even if kept until matu- 

 rity. It is also excessive when secured at the expense 

 of weakened digestion or weakened stamina. The de- 

 gree of the high flesh that should be sought should 

 depend to some extent on the age when the animal is 

 slaughtered, and also on the cost of securing it. The 

 younger the animal to be slaughtered, the higher the 

 condition of flesh in which it may be maintained, and 

 vice versa. When an animal is to be sent to the block 

 under the age of 12 months, its growth is seldom seri- 

 ously impaired by excessive fatness. 



When growing calves for breeding, the methods will 

 be to some extent modified by the particular object for 



