14 



tarmers Bulletin ll^if). 



and cause it to rub or lick itself constantly Avith consequent loss ot 

 hair about the tail, neck, and shoulders. The mites multiply rapidly 

 and are spread from a diseased to a healthy calf by the animals run- 

 ning together or occupying the same stall or pen. 



The treatment is to dip or wash the calf the same as foi* lice, with 

 a lime-and-sulphur, tobacco, or oil-emulsion dip. A mangy calf, like 

 a lousy one, never makes satisfactory gains nor a creditable showing. 

 The hair is usually rough and the skin thick and coarse, which gives 

 the calf an appearance of one lacking vigor and general thrift. 



FEEDS FOR THE CALF. 



The beef calf is able to use to advantage many coarse, cheap feeds 

 produced on the farm. It is a mistake, however, to think that a 

 prize winner or the most profitable breeding animal can be grown 

 on pasture, stover, or hay alone, for such is not the case. 



Feeds Avhich the calf should have are divided into two groups. 

 One is called " concentrates," the other " roughages." The concen- 

 trates include either whole or ground grains and their by-products, 

 such as corn, oats, barley, velvet beans, rye, milo, kafir, bran, cotton- 

 , seed meal, cottonseed cake, peanut meal, and linseed-oil meal. 

 Roughages are of two kinds, dry roughages, such as hay, stover, and 

 straw, and succulent roughages, which include silage and root crops. 

 Pasture grasses or plants such as blue grass, Bermuda, lespedeza, 

 clover, alfalfa, and prairie grass are classed as succulent roughages, 

 also winter pasture, which may be obtained by grazing oats, wheat, 

 soy beans, cowpeas, velvet beans, or other crops. 



All feedstuffs used should be clean and free from mold, musti- 

 ness, or any condition that w^ould make them unpalatable or possibly 

 disturb the digestive system of the calf. 



Special kinds of feeds or combinations of feeds are necessary for 

 the proper growth and development of the calf. Some are best 

 suited for the production of fat, some for the production of muscle, 

 hair, and hide, while others should be used for the groAvth of the 

 bones or framework of the body. Different feeds, therefore, have dif- 

 ferent values and functions for calf feeding. Unless the calf owner 

 has already gained from study and experience a knowledge of the use 

 and value of different feeds he should learn these things, at least 

 in a general way, in order to be able to feed most successfully and 

 cheaply. This is especially true of concentrates. A better idea of 

 their use and value for different purposes may be formed by divid- 

 ing them according to, first, their protein content, and, second, 

 their carbohydrate and fat content. Most feeds contain protein, 

 carbohydrates, and fats, but many are deficient in some one of these 

 important compounds and for this reason are given special consid- 

 eration. 



