446 MANUAL OB^ CATTLE-FEEDING. 



ing-stuffs contained in tlie Appendix will aid in forming a 

 judgment as to how far tliese conditions are fulfilled in 

 anj proposed substitute, while actual trial alone can fix its 

 true practical value. 



"Weaning". — It is one of the feeder's chief problems to 

 bring about the change from exclusive milk feeding to 

 other fodder in such a manner as not only to cause no fall- 

 ing off in the condition of the animal, but so that a con- 

 stant increase in the live- weight shall take place during, or 

 at least immediately after weaning. This can only be 

 accomplished by making the change as gradual as possible 

 and replacing the milk by substitutes of suitable digesti- 

 bility, palatability, and nutritive quality. Crushed and 

 boiled flaxseed is at first very well suited to this purpose. 

 Later, oil cake or palm-nut cake, and also oats barley, 

 malt sprouts, etc., can be profitably Ubed, while by feeding 

 the finest and tenderest hay the animals are gradually ac- 

 customed to coarse fodder. 



When the calves can be early put upon good pasturage 

 the weaning will accomplish itself ; but where this is not 

 the case and they must be stall-fed, more care is demanded. 

 At first the same nutritive ratio should be maintained as 

 in average milk, or, at most, it may be a little widened to- 

 ward the end of the weaning. The fat of the milk, how- 

 ever, may be pretty rapidly replaced by a corresponding 

 quantity of easily digestible carbhydrates, without, how- 

 ever, making the change too sudden. In this way the 

 complete weaning of the calves may be accomplished by 

 the end of the ninth or tenth week, or even earlier. 



After Weaning". — ^Af ter weaning it is advisable to con- 

 tinue for some time the use of quite concentrated food 

 with a nutritive ratio of 1 : 5—6. 



Soxhlet's experiments (p. 439) render it probable that 



