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thcfc prepared kinds of food is given night and morning for 

 a few weeks after the calves are put on that diet, but after- 

 wards, onlv once a day, till they are three months old or 

 more, and 'become perfeaiy llrong. 



The calves in Gioucefterfhire are not allowed to luck: 

 :,bove two or three days ; they are then fed on (lommed 

 milk, which is previoufly heated over the hrc. \\ hen they 

 arrive at fuch an age as to be able to eat a htlle, they are al- 

 lowed fplit beans or oats, and cut hay, water being mixed 

 with the milk at the time of giving it. 



And tlie method prac^ifed in Suffex differs materially horn 

 any of tliefe. It is common, in that dillnfl, to allow the 

 calves either to fuck for ten or twelve weeks, or to wean 

 them at the end of three or four, and to give them a liberal 

 allowance of Ikimmed milk for iix or eight weeks longer 

 when nec.ffary. The Suffolk farmers adopt the pradice 

 of letting the calves fuck the cows a month, fix weeks, or 

 more, coarfe pollard and oats being then given in mixture 

 with ikimmed milk and water : fome nice green hay being 

 conllantly placed before them, till the period of their being 

 turned out into the paftures. In this method, carrots would 

 probably fupply the place of the oats, and greatly leffen the 

 cxpence. 



The method purfued by the farmers in Scotland for rearing 

 calves fecms well adapted to the purpofe : they are two. 

 The firll is, by giving them a pailful, containing about a 

 gallon, of milk, warm from the teat of the cow, morning 

 and evening, for eight or ten weeks. The fecond, which 

 is certainly the moft agreeable to nature, and therefore to 

 be preferred to any other that can be adopted, is, to allow 

 the calf to fuck its dam, as is fometimes done in the county 

 of Suffex, and fome other dillrifts, as in fome parts of Lan- 

 cafhirc. 



The Norfolk hufbandmen permit their early calves to 

 fuck twice in the day for about a fortnight, and afterwards 

 to have the pail in tiie fame manner for an equal length of 

 time ; then once a day for a month or more, according to 

 cireumftances ; turnips, cut hay. Sec. being placed in the 

 mangers before them, at the time. 



Wlicre it is the cuftom to rear calves with ilcim-milk, 

 it (hould always be boiled, and fnffered to Hand until it 

 cools to the temperature of that firft given by the cow, or 

 in a trifling degree more warm, and in that ftate be given to 

 the calf. Milk is frequently given to calves when warmed 

 only ; but that method will not fucceed fo well as boiling 

 it. If the milk be given over-cold, it will caufe the 

 calf to fivit or purge. When this is the cafe, put two or three 

 fpoonfuls of rennet in the milk, and it will foon flop the 

 ioofenefs. If, on the contrary, the calf is bound, bacon- 

 broth is a very good and fafe thing to put into the milk. 

 One gallon, or rather more, of milk per day will keep a 

 calf well till it be thirteen weeks old. A calf may then be 

 fupported without milk, by giving it hay, and a little wheat 

 bran, once a day, with about a pint of oats. The oats will 

 be found of great fervice, as foon as the calf is capable of 

 eating them, in promoting its growth. The bran and oats 

 {hould be given about mid-day : the milk in equal portions, 

 at eight o'clock in the morning, and four in the afternoon. 

 But whatever hours are chofcn to fet apart for feeding the 

 calf, it is bell to adhere to the particular times, as regula- 

 rity is of more confequence than is generally fuppofed. If 

 the calf goes but an hour or two beyond its ufual time of 

 ieeding, it wiU find itfelf uneafy, and pine for food. 



It is always to be confidered, that calves, reared in this 

 manner, are to be enticed to eat hay, or fome other fimilar 

 material, as early as poffible ; and the belt way of doing this, 



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is, to give them the fweeteft hay in your poffeffion, and but 

 little at a time. Turnips or potatoes are very good food, as 

 foon as they can eat them ; and they are bell cut fmall, and 

 mixed with the hay, oats, bran, and fuch articles, at the 

 time of their being given. 



It may be obfcrved, that it is not abfolutely necefiary to 

 give milk to calves after they are one month old ; and to 

 weau them gradually, two quarts of milk, with the addi- 

 tion uf linfeed boiled in water to make a gruel, and given 

 together, will anfwer the purpofe, until, by diminifl ing the 

 milk gradually, the calf will foon do entirely without. Hay- 

 tea will anfwer the purpofe, with the like addition ot two 

 quarts of milk, but is i:ot fo nutritious as linfeed. It is a good 

 method of making this, to put fuch a proportion of hay as 

 will be necefiary into a tub, then to pour on a fufRcient 

 quantity of boiling water, covering up the veflcl, and letting 

 the water remain long enough to extraft the virtues of the 

 hay. When bacon or pork is boiled, it is alfo a good way 

 to preferve the hquor or broth, and mix it with milk for the 

 calves. 



In fummer, calves may fometimes be reared on whey 

 only. But when reared in winter, they mud be fed with 

 hay ; and clover-hay is probably the bell of any foit for 

 this ufe. Calves may alfo be raifed v^'ith porridge of different 

 kinds, without any mixture of milk at all. 



It has been fuggelled to be fometimes a good convenier.t 

 plan, to bring up calves under a iort of fofter mother ; ai> 

 old cow, with a tolerable Hock of milk, will fuckle two 

 calves, or more, cither turned off with her, or at home, 

 keeping them in good condition, until they are old enouglL 

 to ihift for t.henilclves : they ought to fuck the firll of theii: 

 mother's milk, for two or three days, although many are 

 weaned without ever being fuffered to fuck at all. Calves, 

 whether rearing or fattening, fiiould always f'.ick before 

 milking, the cow being milked afterwards, as the firll and 

 thinnell of the milk is fufficiently rich for them. Old milk 

 often fcours very youi:g calve:s ; but the cffctk generally 

 goes off without any ill confequence. Skimmrd milk and 

 fecond flour are fometimes made ufe of. The large, fliort- 

 horned breed of calves mollly confume daily, at three 

 meals, three quarters of a pound of flour each, boiled up in 

 fliimmed milk or other liquid. 



The proper degree ot warmth for the flvimmed milk, 

 on which calves are weaned, is a little above that frefh from 

 the cow. 



In the Rural Economy of Norfolk, it is remarked, by 

 Mr. Marlhall, that fome farmers bring up all the year round, 

 rearing every calf they have dropped. Others rear in winter 

 only, fattening their fummer calves for the pea-markets ; or 

 at a difl;ance from them for the butcher. Norfolk farmers, 

 in general, begin early in winter to rear their calves, fome fo 

 early as Michaelmas ; in comm.on, if their cows come in be- 

 fore Chriflmas, not only as being fully aware of the advan- 

 tage of rearing early, but in order that they may rear as 

 many of their own calves as poffible, drove calves being al- 

 ways hazardous, and fomttin^es fcarce. No dillindlion is 

 m.ade as to fex ; males and females are equally objefts of 

 rearing, and are both occafionally fubjcil to caftration, it 

 being a prevailing cuftom to fpay all heifers intended to be 

 fatted at three years old, but fuch as are intended to be 

 finifhed at two years old are, it is believed, pretty generally 

 left " open," as are, of couife, fuch as are intended for the 

 dairy. There are two reafons for this praiflice ; they are 

 prevented from taking the bull too early, and thereby 

 fruftrating the main intention ; and by this precaution may be 

 more quiet, and are kept from roving at the time of fattening. 



This 



