;^8 THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



In many instances, grazing and feeding soiling food 

 may be combined with advantage, soiling food being 

 made to supplement the grazing when the latter fails. 

 When feeding such green food as may induce bloating, 

 a slight degree of wilting in the food will take away the 

 danger. The character of the soiling food fed should 

 be considered when determining the meal supplement 

 that shall be given. The more of the protein there is 

 in the soiling food, the less is the amount called for in 

 the meal supplement. 



Miscellaneous considerations. — In the successful 

 rearing of calves are several considerations, miscella- 

 neous in character, relating to the feeding and care, which 

 cannot be ignored. Prominent among these are: (i) 

 Careful discrimination as to which shall be reared. (2) 

 Grading in the apartments. (3) Feeding milk and whey 

 in proper conditions. (4) Feeding a number simul- 

 taneously. (5) Giving salt and water, and (6) general 

 sanitary considerations. 



Only some calves should be reared for breeding or 

 for meat production. AA'hile it is not possible, in any 

 instance, to be quite sure of the nature of future develop- 

 ment, it is possible, in nearly all instances, to form an 

 approximately correct judgment. A^''hen a calf comes 

 into life prematurely, in some instances, it may reach 

 maximum development ultimately, but it is more prob- 

 able that such will not be true of it. The same is true 

 of a calf that is of weak vitality. Among the indica- 

 tions of good vitality are good size and strength at 

 birth, and the possession of six or eight well-de\eloped 

 teeth. When selecting calves for the dairy, the udder 

 should be possessed of four good teats well placed and 

 one or more rudimentaries to show milk force. Should 

 digestive derangement show itself to the extent of seri- 

 ously retarding growth during calfhood, it will fre- 

 quently be more profitable to dispose of the calf 

 promptly than to attempt to rear it. 



