126 VBTEEINAEY HYGIENE 



ing, and that have never had a ' set back ' through insuffi- 

 cient nourishment. Some of the most successful feeders 

 have been able to show a weekly increase of 8 lbs. in body 

 weight for young bullocks from birth to eighteen months of 

 age, for Show animals the daily increase in weight has 

 been much higher, varying from 1 J lbs. to 2 lbs. per day of 

 their short life of from two to three years. 



In all cases where forced early maturity has been pro- 

 duced, care has been taken to leave the calves with their 

 mothers for some time, six or seven months is the practice 

 in the West of England, during which in addition to milk 

 they receive grass, and after weaning corn, cake, and 

 grass. 



There are variations in this system, frequently the calf is 

 weaned after a couple of months and kept going with skim 

 milk, linseed mucilage, a little cake or meal, grass and 

 roots, and later on hay. After a year old there is another 

 course of grass, cake, roots, etc., and the animal is fit 

 for the butcher at two years old. 



The summer feeding of animals is comparatively simple ; 

 in the autumn they are brought in and fed in yards or 

 boxes, and some feeders turn them out in fine weather, but 

 the home feeding is their source of supply. It is liberal, 

 consisting of hay, roots, cake, meal, and straw. 



These animals are generally fed three times a day, but 

 there are some which recommend feeding four times daily, 

 and the results are very good ; in all cases only food of 

 the best character is given. 



The secret of forcing animals to mature is good food, 

 both natural and artificial, good pastures, the best of crops, 

 sufficient salts in the food, and shelter from the weather. 



Purchased animals for fattening do not give such early 

 results, they are often older, have been underfed, and take 

 much more time. The success of the system depends upon 

 the judgment of the buyer. He must purchase cattle suit- 

 able for his land, and depending upon their previous condi- 

 tion, and the facilities for fattening them, they can either 

 be turned out as beef in six or twelve months. 



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