ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 25 



seldom lost a calf or colt from scours since we began using this 

 remedy. 



With regard to the milk, we separate all of our morning's 

 milk and sell the cream, which nets us as much as the whole 

 milk and gives us the skim milk for the calves. We take the 

 same care of the skim milk we intend feeding as we would of 

 any other milk. What we feed in the morning is taken imme- 

 diately to the calves after separating and while yet warm, or if 

 it has cooled down, we set it in a vat of warm water until it has 

 reached the proper temperature. What is intended for night's 

 feeding is cooled and set away until needed, when it is warmed 

 up again. We continue to feed our calves skim milk as long as 

 we have a supply on hand to feed them, and find that it is the 

 cheapest feed and that they thrive better on it than on anything 

 else we can give them. We always try to feed them milk until 

 they are six or eight months old. Our loss of calves has been 

 very small by this method and the greatest loss has generally 

 occurred by changing attendant or the wisdom of some new man 

 who thought the calf feeder was an unnecessary equipment. 



The calves should have daily out-door exercise. . Our calves 

 after three months of age are turned out in paddocks to pick 

 grass and to exercise. 



W'e usually breed our heifers at from eighteen months to 

 two years of age. Our cows are bred so that we have fresh 

 cow^s coming along the whole year round. We aim to breed to 

 the best of dairy-bred sires, as that influence is the greatest ele- 

 ment of improvement for the dairy calf and the herd in general. 



We estimate that the cost of raising the average calf is 

 about $18 per year. (And right here is another place for tlie 

 average farmer to do a little figuring.) The heifer that it not 

 v/crth more than $35.^0 to $40.00 at two years of age has only 

 paid, in that she has consumed roughage that has to be used 

 up around tt.e place We have no trouble in obtaining for full 

 blood yearlings from $100.00 upward, so there is a nice source 

 of profit ev^n though the first cost for foundation stock is a 

 little higher than for common stuff. 



