832 VETEEINARY HYGIENE 



question which is outside our province. The trouble and 

 care required by calves certainly cause many farmers to 

 neglect this side of their industry, and further in dairy 

 farming the calf is regarded as a necessary evil to be got 

 rid of as early as possible. Yet it is obvious the greater 

 the home production of cattle, the less demand there will 

 be for foreign importations. 



Earlier in these pages farmers were urged to breed their 

 own stock. This is the advice given by the highest agri- 

 cultural authorities, and is moreover sound common-sense. 

 An intelligent farmer by rearing his own stock could in 

 course of time not only get rid of tuberculosis, but remain 

 permanently free. 



Home reared stock should be kept quite apart from the 

 cows which farmers have to purchase as occasion arises, in 

 order to make up their milk contracts. 



The housing of calves has been dealt with (see p. 334), 

 and the importance of an impervious dry floor, fresh air, 

 daylight and cleanliness, has been insisted upon. It is 

 considered by many that where calves are brought up by 

 hand they are best kept in separate cribs to prevent them 

 sucking one another, if herded together it may be found 

 necessary to muzzle them to check this practice. 



Though calves are generally hand-reared, the natural 

 method is to suckle the mother. Economic considerations 

 necessitate artificial rearing, which can be quite safely 

 and successfully employed, provided definite conditions are 

 followed. Natural feeding is always adopted among pedigree 

 stock, and by others where the milk is not of primary 

 consideration. 



Calves to be hand-reared should be separated practically 

 immediately after birth, that is as soon as they have been 

 licked by the dam, and are able to get on to their legs. At 

 this time the udder contents are generally available for them, 

 though some farmers use the colostrum for the purpose 

 of making custards. In such cases treacle is given to the calf 

 with the first milk, in order to act as a purgative. Early 

 separation may prevent difficulty later on, otherwise for 



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