28 THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



instances may and do occur in which skim milk even 

 cannot be had. Is it possible to raise calves practically 

 without milk, and if so, will the results justify the 

 effort ? To both these questions an affirmative answer 

 may be given. Good cows for the dairy have been 

 raised under such conditions. How can this be done? 



To give the calf a good start it should have new 

 milk for a few days at the first. Unless when the dam 

 has been lost at parturition, or has met with serious 

 mishap, as when attacked by milk fever, it would be 

 possible and practicable to give the calf the milk of 

 the dam without any hindrance until it is fit for use. 

 It will be greatly advantageous if the milk can be con- 

 tinued for a week or two, even though it should only form 

 a part of the liquid food given. As soon as any portion 

 of the new milk is withdrawn, add some hay tea to that 

 given, but do not add enough to produce distension of 

 the stomach. The hay tea is best made from early- 

 harvested clover or alfalfa, cut fine by a straw-cutter 

 and made to simmer for a considerable time over a slow 

 fire, and then strained through a suitable wire sieve. 

 This is added to the milk and fed at a suitable tempera- 

 ture, and is fed, if possible, not less than five times 

 for the first week, and three times the second and third 

 weeks. When the calf is a week old, flaxseed gruel may 

 be added to the liquid, and also thoroughly cooked oat- 

 meal and wheat middlings. The cooking is chiefly in- 

 tended to encourage the calf to take such food when 

 quite young. When the calves take dry meal freely, it 

 may be discontinued, but oilmeal must continue to form 

 one of the factors of the meal. 



If the calf or calves can be kept in a box stall m 

 which is an older calf, but not so old as to rob them 

 unduly of food, they will sooner learn to eat meal from 

 the example of the latter. But such feeding may be 

 hastened by taking a little meal in the hand and putting 



