lO THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



which they are grown. When distinctively of the beef 

 class, and purely bred, they are usually suckled on the 

 dams, and are in addition fed a supplement of meal or 

 grain from the time that they will take it indefinitely 

 onward. The wisdom of feeding the grain supplement 

 and the amount that may be fed with profit is dependent 

 on its relative cost, on its composition, and on whether 

 the calves are to be retained or sold. Usually the cost 

 of grain is not so much as to preclude feeding more or 

 less of it at a profit, and especially when sufficiently rich 

 in protein to promote desirable development. When calves 

 are purely bred and the grower aims to sell them at an 

 age not exceeding one year, the grain supplement fed 

 should be more or less rich in carbohydrates. This aids 

 in the quick disposal of the calves, on the principle that 

 the dominant influence exerted on the prospective buyer 

 is that which comes from a high condition of flesh, and 

 because it is pleasing to the eye. Such a condition of 

 flesh is not necessarily beneficial to the calf. If carried 

 to excess, the result will be the opposite. Not more 

 than reasonably high fleshing should be sought in such 

 animals when retained for breeding. 



When growing calves for breeding of the dual type, 

 they should be hand-fed on a skim-milk diet, except 

 when they are to be disposed of as veal at an early age. 

 To rear them on their dams would add too much to the 

 cost of growing them. It would also tend to beget in 

 them that habit of digestion which would favor flesh 

 production rather than milk production in the females, 

 when of sufficient age to produce milk. By parity of 

 reasoning, it would seem correct to assume that keep- 

 ing breeding males in a very high condition of flesh 

 from the first would tend to transmit the flesh-produc- 

 ing rather the milk-producing tendency to the progeny. 

 But with this class of cattle, more flesh is wanted than 

 with straight dairy cattle. The mistake of growing 



