Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-06-13
About Raising Four Legged Calves.

We make the pedal distinction because
the information we get concerning the
growth and prosperity of some of the
noted offspring of some of the wealthy
men in our cities, indicates the needless
ness of any anxiety or attention in that
direction.
Calves can, to some degree, be raised
almost any way. on almost any kind Of
slops, but they will then be slop calves
1t is undoubtedly true that calves will
make the best growth on good new milk
and enough of it, and taken from the COW
in the natural way, but that the dairyman
cannot afford to allow the calf to do or to
have, and so skim milk is used as the
basis of its food except where cheese is
made, when we believe they are given the
whey. We know ola paper which once
lost several hundred subscribers, among
the practical. common-sense farmers, be.
cause its theoretical editor scientifically
demonstrated to certainty that calves
could not be grown on sour milk, because
they had for years raised them just that
way, and thought it of no use to read what
an editor might say, who knew so little of
what he was talking. In this matter we
shall give little of theory but take leaf
from our experience in the business, We
let the calf suck two or three days and
then teach it to drink, giving it new milk
warm from the COW. The natural way
gives it milk containing SO much fat, so
much sugar, SO much casino, ETC., gives it
at blood heat and gives it slowly, and the
calf gets it in way which promotes the
secretions from the saivary glands
What would one naturally expect would
result from at once changing all these
conditions, giving milk from which nearly
all the fat had been taken, pouring it into
the stomach almost at once, and, from
thirty to forty degrees lower in tempera-
ture than was natural, yet just that is
what some try to accomplish in few
weeks time. We feed the calf all new
milk till two weeks old, when we add
little skim milk, and by the time it is
four weeks old the amount of new milk
has been gradually lessened till it takes all
skim milk. At the same time Cor n little
later) that we commence giving skim
milk, we add little linseed meal or
wheat middlings, which hould be first
mixed in cold water, then scalded by ad.
ding boiling water, and the whole added
to the milk. Another most important
matter is 10 have the amount given uni
form, not giving it two quarts one day and
four the next and anywhere between the
two another time, but the quantity should
be gradually increased as the animal
grows older. And it shold be given warm,
not scalding hot this time and as it comes
from the dairy the next, but it may be
altered to feed gradually cooler till at
three months it may be given as it is if it
is summer weather, but should be warmed
in winter. We belive these points of
uniform quantity, temperature, and times
of feeding, of more importance than
whether the milk be sweet or sour.
The quantity Of meal or middlings may
be also increased till good handful is
given, and treated as above stated, there
will be likely to be no check of growth, or
back fearfully. And finally, good care,
good feed, intelligent, watchful oversight
will pay as well in raising calves as in
almost anything else.