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milk, nnJ ibc whok- be made nearly ns warm as new milk wlicn 

 it is firll taken l.om the co«-, aiul in that Itate it is t.t for ule. 

 The quantity of oil-cake powder may, from lirae to tin-.e, be 

 increafed, as occaf.on may require, and as the calf becomes 

 inured to the llavoi.r of it. But Mr. Crook's method is to 

 make a ieily of one quart of llnfecd, boiled ten mn utes in 

 r.x quarts of water, wliieii jelly is afterwards mixed witli a 

 fmall quantity of the bell hay-tea ; on this he rears many 

 calves viihont milk. 



Mr. Donaldfoii obfcrves, that calves when diopt dining 

 ihc erafs-f^afon (hould be put into fomc fmall homc-clofe 

 of fwetl rich pailnre, after they arc eight or ten days o,a, 

 not only for the fake of excrcife, but alio tliat they may the 

 fooncr take to the eating of grafs. When they happen to 

 be dropt durinjr winter, or before the return of the grafs- 

 feafon, a little iliort foft hay, Ihaw, or fiiced turnips, Ihould 

 be laid in the trough or llall before them. By means of lin- 

 fced made into a jelly by boiling in water, calves have been 

 weaned without any milk at all, in the tri:\Is of Mr. Crook. 

 The author of Prae^ical Agrieulturc fuggells that potatoe 

 meal has been found to be ul'eful in this intention, "as it 

 mixes well with milk, water, or weak bnith, and is highly 

 nutritious." 



Male calves that arc intended to be kept (honid conltantly 

 be callrated or evu at an early period, as in the fiift week cr 

 fortnight, the danger being eoufiderably Icfs when done 

 early. 



Cai.ves, /«■///■«:: of. In this pradice the produce of the 

 cavt can in many iituations be brought to great advantage ; 

 as in the vicinity of large towns. The method moll com- 

 monly employed in fattening calves, is to allow them to fuek ; 

 as by this method the objecl is probably not only fooner, but 

 more efFcflually attained than by any other means. The 

 period which is'necefiary for fattening calves mud be difTer- 

 ent, according to circumllances, but it is generally Irom 

 feven to nine weeks; however, in the dairy dilliicls, where 

 milk is confidertd a valuable article, fearcely half that time 

 is allowed. There is another method, wh ch is to give 

 them the milk to drink ; and when that is done, it is given 

 them morning and evening warm from the cow, and the 

 quantity increafed according to their age and ftrength. In 

 whatever way they mav be managed, they fhonld be kept 

 in pens in a clofe well aired houfe, and well littered. 



The author of the Synopfis of Hulbandry obferves, 

 •' that as it is nectffary that the calves (lionld lie always 

 quiet, in order that they may indulge in flcep at tliofe times 

 when they are not employed in fucking ; it feems proper that 

 the cow-houfe Ihould be fituated in the moft retired part of 

 the yard, and that the pens Ihould be kept as dark as poffi'.ile. 

 But notwithllariding this caution, the calves fhould by no 

 means be fuffered to lie too hot in the fummer time, which 

 would be apt to induce a ficknefs amongll them. To adni't, 

 therefore, an occafional draught of frelh aii, kt a window be 

 cut in eAch pen, with (butters adapted to the fame, and let 

 thcfe windows be opened whenever the clofenefs of the at- 

 mofphcre indiea.tes it to be neced'ary. In the fummer fea- 

 fon they (hould rarely, if ever, be cloftly (lint, and when it is 

 • required, the (Iream of air may be increafed by opening the 

 cowhoufe door at the oppofite end of the building. Each 

 calf (liould have a collar round his neck, to diretl him in his 

 fnckling, but (liould never be fallened up in the pen. It is 

 iiecctTary that the pens be conllantly well littered with the 

 cleaned wheat draw, a proportion of which (liould be thrown 

 in to them every day ; cleanUnefs being a moft effential article 

 in the fattening of every animal, and not more necelfary to 

 any than the calf, which, but for this precaution, would in a 

 ihort time demonftrate the ill effeds of lying on his accu- 



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mtilatcd dung, whicK of all other ariimals is the mod offen- 

 five, and of a quality highly feptic. Still as the calves are 

 veancd, they are to be taken into the pens, and fuckled on 

 their own dams, which at fnil will yield a far greater quan- 

 tity of milk than is neceflary for their offspring, fo that 

 another calf may be fuckled thereon ; or the cow may be 

 milked, and the cream be referved for butter, or applied to 

 any other ufe tliat the owner may think proper. As the 

 calf increafes in. fize it will require a larger quantity of milk ; 

 but wliiiil they are young, one good cow will yield a noble 

 fnpply for two calves ; and when the produce is demanded 

 for one calf, another new milch cow (l-.ould be provided, and 

 thefe two cows will abundantly fupp!y the three calves with 

 milk till the oldell is fit for the butcher; after which, if 

 neceffary, a frcdi fixkler maybe bought in, and the bufinefs 

 be carried on progrefiively by keeping the houfe conllantly 

 fupplicd with calve;;, fo that the whole milk may be fucked ; 

 as the different branches of the fatted calf and the dairy can- 

 not be fo conveniently united." 



" For many of the foulhei n parts of the kingdom. Smith- 

 field market is the moft convenient place to apply for fuck- 

 lers, fo as to be on a certainty of prcicurlng them, this 

 being the general receptacle where the milk-men vend their 

 calvei) ; and thefe liaving been bred from the larger btafFord- 

 (liire or Holdtrnefs covvs, do generally turn out to good 

 account for the fuckler, fuch large boned -calves, v\hen 

 fattened, arifing to a weight much more confiderable than 

 the ordinary produce of the country dairy-men ; and as to 

 the fuperior quantity of milk required in fattening the 

 larger breed of calves, this is amply recompeiifed by the 

 greater increafe of weight. The only hazard attending this 

 Smithfield bargain is, the accident which may happen to 

 the creature on the road, if the drift has been of any length; 

 for, befides the cow-men above-mentioned, many fucklcrs 

 are fent to this market from the vale of Aykibury, and 

 thefe lometimes meet with accidents, either from the 

 lengthened journey, or want of milk. From the former, 

 the quiet of the pens generally recovers them, and the ill 

 confequences of inanition may be obviated by llinting the 

 creature to a (liort allowance for a few mfals, till the caufc 

 is removed. With thcfe precautious, it will, he believes, 

 very rarely be found that any fatal conlequences fucceed 

 either of thefe evils. However it fometimes happens that, 

 in fpite of all our care, the fuckler dies in confequeuce of 

 imprudent management in the vender ; but as thefe acci- 

 dents are not frequent, they ought not to deter the farmer 

 from replenilh.iiig his pen by the I^ondon markets, where 

 his vicinity to the metropolis will allow of the praftice. 



" Young calves," he fays, "when permitted to fuck their 

 fill, are often feized with a lax or fcouring. To prevent 

 which, the calves for the firit fortnight or three w-eeks may 

 be dinted in their allowance; at the fame time due regard 

 (hould be taken that they do not pine or decreafe in flefli 

 for want of milk. But after this age, they (hould be al- 

 lowed to fuck as long as they choofe, and every means 

 ought to be made ufe of to increafe their appetite, and 

 render them more eager after their food. Chalk may be 

 given for this purpofe, as well as for giving to the fle(b a 

 delicate whitenefs. Salt fprinkled in the troughs will hke- 

 wile acl as a ftimulus to the appetite ; befides which, it is a 

 common practice with fome people to cram their calves with 

 balls compounded of flour, pounded chalk, and milk, with 

 the addition of a fmall quantity of common gin. Of thefe 

 they give two, about the fize of a walnut, once a day, or 

 oftener, to each calf. Thefe balls being very nutritious, in 

 fome degree, fupply the place of milk, and at the fame time 

 the fprituous mixture operates on the creature as a fopo- 



ri.^ic ; 



