ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



183 



When it is taken away, feed for three or four days with whole milk, then 

 drop out some and add skim milk. In a few days drop out some more 

 whole milk and add more skim milk, and by the time the calf is twelve 

 to fifteen days old, you are feeding about eight or nine pounds skim milk 

 and one pound whole milk. 



At the present price of oil meal I figure tha? one pound of four per 

 cent milk is cheaper than the meal, makes a good growing feed and is 

 handier than meal. I put before the calf plenty of clover or millet hay and 

 some whole oats. The calf will grow rapidly fed in this manner and will 

 not lay on fat. 



I much prefer to have my heifer calf at two years and two months 

 lather than before, and rather they would some fresh in the spring with. 

 first calf. 



I keep my heifers on blue grass pasture before calving and usually 

 feed some little grain, like whole oats and gluten meal. After the first 

 calf if we want winter cows it isn't much trouble to breed them that 

 way, but by having the heifer come fresh in the spring, I get a better 

 udder development. 



You will find men feeding their cows corn meal and hay, and for a 

 time they arel wonderfully taken with the dairy business, but some day 

 they find that! their cows nave fallen off in their milk, some have caked 

 udder, some ropey milk and others seem to have no appetite. Then th& 

 owner begins to curse the 1 business when it is all due to his ignorance in 

 feeding such a highly coneertrated ration. He is feeding practically no- 

 protein at all. It is the certain result of an unbalanced ration. The ani- 

 mal's system is full of fever. The Babcock test will show that the butter 

 fat is almost burnt out of the milk. 



It is a common saying that a cow is a machine and returns a profit 

 only after she has appropriated enough food for her own support. I can 

 not say that is my opinion of a dairy cow. A good dairy cow will return 

 to you a certain proportion of milk if you feed a milk ration. We must 

 combine the foods in a proper manner to contain the standard amount of 



