120 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN^ ASSOCIATION. 



a strong calf, should be fed and cared for much the same 

 as she should be to support a strong calf. The origin 

 of that fatal disease known as scours in calves may be 

 found in the practice of high feeding of the dam for a 

 considerable time before the birth of the calf. 



It is a matter of considerable economy to raise calves 

 on skim-milk. To do this the calf should betaken from 

 its dam and taught to drink milk. The milk used 

 should be that of the dam freshly drawn. The calf 

 should be fed twice a day and the new milk ration con- 

 tinued until the calf is about a month old or as soon as 

 it will eat hay and corn, at which time the new milk 

 may be gradually displaced by skim-milk; this may be 

 done by giving skim-milk at GYery other feed or by 

 diluting the new milk. The skim-milk should be fed 

 warmed to about 90 degrees Fah. The calf should 

 have all the hay it wants and also all the corn it will 

 eat until it will eat about two quarts per day, which 

 with three or four gallons of milk and plenty of hay is 

 sufficient to keep the calf growing nicely until it is 

 eight or nine months old, when the supply of milk may 

 be gradually diminished in amount until it is finally dis- 

 pensed with. 



The first winter the calves will thrive well on clover 

 hay, sheaf oats and shelled corn. The next summer 

 they will do well on good pasture without grain; and 

 with plenty of good hay or corn fodder they will need 

 very little grain the second winter. 



For several months previous to calving the heifers 

 should be prefaced for the work of milk giving ; they 

 ought to be fed grain and such feeds as are given the 

 cows in milk for several months before calving. If possi- 

 ble they should be so fed or trained to eat that they may 

 be capable of consuming a full feed by the time they 



