Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-03-05
Farmers Department.
HINTS ON RAISING CALVES.

Calves arc raised for veal, or to become
milk producers, or TO bear the yoke, or
still unbroken to be ussd as beef Where
the production Of veal is most profitable,
it is usually best to give each good COW
two calves to feed, and let them run with
her and have all the milk they will draw.
In winter and earley spring, this cannot
be done, and the calves must be brought
to the COW three times day for the first
week or fortnight, and twice day 'aitcr
that; If the calves leave any milk, the
COW should be thoroughly stripped each
time. This plan saves much labor in
milking, and so soon as one pair of calves
has been sold to the butcher, another pair
may take their places. Cows will usually
own any calves given to them after one or
two milking times, and they may then be
left to run together in the pasture The
calves should be nearly Of an age No COW
that will not give plenty of milk for two
calves, ought not to be kept for anything
but beef; and it is an excellent plan to
make the short teated cows nurses in this
way. The calves which are to be raised
either for beef or breeding, should have
all the milk after they are 6 or weeks
old.
Where butter is made, and the milk can
not be spared to the calf, the plan of
correspondents of the AsaicuhWist may be
followed, He writes: "Shortly after the
calf is dropped, take it from the COW and
put it in dry, well Uttered stable. Part
Of each day,it should be allowed the range
Of some adjoining yard, for exercise. BY
separating COW and calf thus early, the
former is sooner weaned from her off,
spring, and the latter learns to drink milk
more easily than if allowed to suck for
several days. Milk the COW at once, aud
feed the calf all it will drink. 10 teach
it to drink, give it your fore-fnger with the
back of the hand immersed in the pail OF
milk few trials will suffice. During
the third week, give about one quarter of
skinned milk; in the fourth week, one
half, and after the sixth week, let it be all
skinned but sweet and as warm as newly
drawn milk. After two months, weaving
from milk should begin. Feed a little In
dian meal wet up in milk or water. Give
once day, little soft, sweet hay; he
will soon learn 10 nibble it. A pint of
oats per day may early be given. Soon
he will learn to eat grass, and then in
good pasture, will take care of himself
The practice of removing The calf from
the dam we do not commend, though it is
very generally practised. After the labor
and trial of maternity the COW ought to
have the satisfaction of sucklink her off,
spring, at least so long as it is necessary
for the calf TO have nothing but pure mi TX /.
The COW will often worry and pine if the
calf be taken away too soon. and tenden-
cy to garget or caked bag is often the re
suit. Moreover, if the calf be fastened in
a calf-pen or elsewhere, and allowed to &c
to the COW three times day, entire sepa-
ration will be much more easily borne af-
ter few days.
Where the milk is sold, aud it is best to
wean the calf from the COW as speedily as
possible, it may be removed after few
hours. Meanwhile the COW will have lick.
ed it and nosed it to her hearts content
giving the little thing notion of matters
and things about it, setting its blood in
circulation, and getting it well on its feet
The calf will have taken its first meal, and
sbutted down the bag as they say, The
first milk should never be withheld from
the calf; utterly unfit fo- human food, il
is aperient in its action, and cleans out the
bowels Of the calf as no medicine can
Serious results follow,f this does not take
place in case the bowels do not move, a
dose Of two ounces of castor oil, with a
teaspoonful of ginger, ought to be admin
istered. The removal of the dark, gummy
ieces with which tie bowels of a newly
born calf are more or less filled, is very
important. After the calf is removed, it i.
kept away from The COW except at mea
times, three times day. After about tht
third or fourth day, it may well be taugh
10 drink from pail. The milk must b.
freshly drawn at first, the next day, par
skinned milk may be used, and by tn
time it is week old, it may be fed OF
SKINNED milk altogether. Then begin Il
add little thin cruel, being careful t
check any tendency to securing, by scald
ing part Of the milk with little fine Houl
Bran added to the Cruel is loosening fin
wheat -four and boiled milk have the-op
posite tendency. So that with careful