Dairy Farmimi. 
6&7 = 401 
CHAPTER II. 
The Bearing of Calves. 
' lERE is, in the first place, the practice of letting the calf Calf-rearing, 
ijn with its dam at grass all through the summer, which one 
.'is adopted in Herefordshire, for example. There are also farms 
lere heifers are put to the bull at 18 months old, and allowed 
suckle their calves for 8 to 10 weeks, thereafter being put dry 
(1 grazed and fattened ; becoming at 3 years old, after a winter's 
ding, nearly as heavy as if they had been fed right through, 
th the advantage of having reared a calf worth Al. or 5/. into 
^ bargain. There are also farms where 6 or 7, and even more, 
ives are reared each year upon a single cow ; the calf being 
)ught from its dam at 2 or 3 days old to suck its nurse, with 
lich it keeps till gradually weaned off at 8 or 9 weeks, a second 
;ung one gradually taking its place — the cow, in fact, always 
Iving two calves with her — the one being gradually helped more 
tm the other with gruel and other food, and getting less of the 
ilk. Here, too, the labour of hand-milking is avoided, which 
i the growing difficulty everywhere, even in distinctly dairy 
( itricts. The practice in most dairy districts is to get rid of 
t ves at a few days old, selling them as soon as possible, 
i order to devote the whole milk of the cow to cheese- or 
Itter-making. In some parts, however, especially when it is 
t; object of the farmer by the use of a good bull to improve his 
i'ck, a considerable proportion of the heifer calves are reared. 
<i this I again quote Mr. W. T. Carrington, of Uttoxeter, who 
5 s : 
"It is my practice to rear nearly 40 of my earliest heifer Calf-reavin'^ 
( ves (the herd includes over 100 cows). They are not allowed whole milk. 
1 suck their dams ; they have from 4 quarts to 8 quarts of new 
1 Ik per diem, according to age, for 3 or 4 weeks. They are 
t;n fed with skim-milk, thickened with boiled linseed or 
(itmeal, and are taught as soon as possible to eat hay and a 
^ all quantity of linseed-cake. They are allowed to run out on 
J jrass-field in May and June, and are after then generally left 
(t altogether, with a shed to run into in very wet weather, or 
t avoid the heat of the sun and the teasing of flies. The milk 
t ding is altogether discontinued when they are about 4 months 
' I. They are supplied with about 1 lb. each per day of linseed- 
ue all through the year." 
'Elsewhere in dairy districts, in order to have all the milk 
callable for cheese-making, the calves, when taken from new 
' Ik, are fed with whey thickened with meal. Skim-milk is a 
ich safer food ; and now that butter sells at a good price, it 
