28 ILLINOIS dairymen's association. 



most pleasant meeting here. I have been working among the farmers of Wis- 

 consin for six winters, and I am surprised and glad to see so large an audience 

 here to-night. 



I was delighted with the accuracy with which my friend Buell gave the 

 experiments that I had made, and I only wish that there were more farmers 

 that could give accurate figures on such matters. I wish to emphasize the 

 point that he made, that there should be care taken in feeding, that the animal 

 should be in a condition to secure the best results. 



From the experiments that we have made at the experimental station, we 

 are convinced that, nineteen times out of twenty, it pays to feed skim milk. 



In order to try our experiments fairly, I went out into Jefferson County, 

 and got a butcher to buy calves from cheese cows. That is right in this 

 district where cattle have been bred promiscuously, as they generally are. For 

 calves from thirty-six hours to a week old we have to pay from $1.00 to $2.00. 

 The figures given by Mr. Buell are correct ; perhaps I can add a little. 



It is only when you are feeding to the maxium of good feeding, that you 

 will make skim milk worth anything like 35 cents a hundred. Mr. Gurler'g 

 statement is right. Skim milk is worth half as much a hundred pounds as good 

 corn is worth a bushel. When I say good feeding, I don't mean pouring all the 

 cold sour milk down a calf that you can get it to drink. The calves have gained 

 about two pounds a day with us during the summer, and never had over fifteen 

 pounds of skim milk, but it was fed at blood heat three times a day, always 

 warm. Not over fifteen pounds per calf, and the milk was always carefully 

 weighed. Right with that milk we put other food, all the calf can eat. For 

 instance, we put whole oats, and if he gets tired of that, we mix some corn 

 meal, and then we mix some bran. The milk we used was skimmed with the 

 Cooley creamer. 



Question. On a basis of 35 cents that would make about 5 cents a day ? 



Answer. Yes, sir. 



Question. And with the other feed how much did you have left ? 



Answer. Nothing left, sir. We are counting that, that is, what the calf 

 paid for the skim milk. We paid 1 cent a pound for oats and grain, $8.00 a ton 

 for hay, and then had 35 cents for the skim milk. 



Question. Have you experimented at all with feeding sour skim milk ? 



Answer. We have not got down to feeding sour skim milk yet. I want to 

 prove one thing before I go to another. I have got so now that I think we can 

 feed calves on sweet skim milk successfully. I want to emphasize the point of 

 feeding the milk warm. In feeding skim milk usually the errors come in two 

 ways — feeding too much at a time, and too much together. Now, a man will let 

 a calf have a whole pail of skim milk because it is skim milk. It is better to feed 

 three times a day, and a small quantity each time, and the thermometer should 

 certainly be used until you can tell that it is nicely blood heat, and with those 

 two points, and then feeding liberally with the other food, I think you can 

 make skim milk worth from 20 to 30 cents, and in maximum cases 35 cents. 



Question. How much danger is there of over-heating the milk for the 

 calves ? 



Answer. I do not think there is much. If it should run up to 120, 1 should 

 not be alarmed. I would rather have it 120 thau 60 or 70. There are 



