THE JOURNAL 

 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Vol. XL No. 12. 

 MARCH, 1905. [NEW SERIES.] 



CALF-REARING. 



From the calf's standpoint it may at once be conceded that 

 there is no method of rearing a calf equal to the natural one of 

 allowing it to run with its dam. But in these days, when the 

 production of milk for sale is recognised as one of the most 

 profitable sides of British farming and the only one not seriously 

 affected by foreign competition, this simple plan of calf-rearing, 

 at least with the dairy breeds of cows, will not pay. With 

 the poorer milking breeds of cattle, such as the Herefords, 

 Galloways, Highlanders, &c, calves are still largely allowed to 

 run with the cows, but in such cases the farms are mostly or 

 entirely in grass and not adapted for winter dairying, and the 

 calving occurs in late spring or early summer when grass is 

 available, and the cows are cheaply kept. Still, when it is con- 

 sidered that in the ordinary way a calf requires six quarts of 

 new milk a day, the wholesale value of which is ninepence, while 

 the market value of good stores of a year old only allows for half 

 this daily outlay,* it will at once be seen that new milk con- 

 tinued for long is far too expensive a calf-food. In fact, at the 

 rate of ninepence a day a calf is costing more to keep than 

 a heifer near to her time of calving. Moreover, calves can be 

 well reared as stores, and even well fed for veal with but a small 

 consumption of new milk. In the case of pedigree calves, more 

 especially the bulls, the higher anticipated sale prices generally 

 justify the use of new milk up to even the age of twelve 

 months ; but good, well-grown bulls can be reared without 

 much new milk. 



* First value, £i ios., and 365 times ^d, = £6 16s. io^d, ; total, £8 6s. iojd. 



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