The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-03-25
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Calf Rearing on skim MIX.

Professor G. +. Morrow says in the
last bulletin of the College of Agricul-
ture, University of Illinois; For four
years we have reared score or more
of calves each year, using skinned milk
entirely after they We're from one to two
weeks old and are sure that the practice
is desirable for very many farmers, We
have not been able to secure so rapid
growth or so plump and attractive APP
pearance for the calves as when they
suckle their dams or are fed whole milk.
Nor do we secure maturity in so short q
time In other words, we believe pure
milk is the best possible food for calf;
hut satisfactory results and often greater
profits result from using the cream for
butter-making and feeding the skinned
milk.
The change to skinned milk should
not be made suddenly. Care should be
taken to have the milk of uniform tenn
perature when fed-better below than
above that of fresh milk 1t is better to
feed three times a day while the calves
are young; and be ter to feed each calf
separately than several together. A good
device by which calf can draw its milk
as nearly as possible as it does in sucking
is better than to have it drink from a
pail or trough. The use of linseed oil
meal, better heated and thoroughly
mixed with milk is desirable The
calves should be encouraged to cat grass
or good hay, and some grain or meal-oats
being prcferable-as soon as may be.
Large quantitics'of milk ct long inter
walls are not nearly so good as smaller
quantities more frequently given ard
accompanied by other food. The milk
should be continued until the calves are
five or six months old.
With such treatment we have produced
calves weighing $50 to 400 pounds, at
six months; COO to 700 poulds at one
year; 1000 to 1, 100 pounds at two years
on grass; and 800 pounds at Thirty three
months, after two or three months Of grain
feeding. These are not great weights !;
not so large as have often been reported
from like feeding, but they are not unsat-
isfactory, and, with butter selling at
twenty to twenty-fiv cents, as at present,
these weights from skim milk rearing are
believed to represent greater profit than
giving the calves all the milk from their
| dams.
With our cows and heifcrs it has been
impossible to decide that those reared on
whole milk were larger or more sym
metricll, when mature, than those fed on
skim-milk, although the latter require
somewhat longer time to fully mature
than do the former.
Our practice is to have the calves
dropped at all seasons, the hot months
being less desirable, but for rearing on
skim-milk the preference is given to
those dropped in the autumn. With
comfortable quarters these will make al
most or quite as much growth when
young as those dropped in the spring.
They can be weaned at the time when
they can 60 on grass, and will come to the
second winter robust and in good shape
for the change to dry feed. Spring
dropped calves must go into winter quar-
| tcrssoon after weaving.
For some reasons it is desirable that
heifers should calve in the spring. Fall
dropped COW calves can be so bred as to
drop their first calves in the spring when
| they are about thirty months old, which
we have found the most desirable age.