The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-02-05
APRIL AND OCTOBER.
The Best Time for Cows to Cazve-A
Stock Raiser Gives His Views.

Stock Raiser Gives His Views.
The calves of Holstein-F riesian cows
are. according to my experience, twenty.
five per cent larger than those Of any
other breed, says writer in the
Breeders Gazette. The weight Of my
pure-bred Holstein-Friesian calves has
run from eighty to one hundred and
twenty pounds, and I have heard Of
other breeders who had them in a few
instances to weigh one hundred and
forty pounds on the day of their birth.
Having lost so many calves from heifers
that were bred to calve the spring they
were two years old, some time since
adopted the plan of holding them back
six months. This brought number Of
heifers to calve during the fall months,
at which time it is the nature of cows
to grow their calves at least twenty-five
per cent. smaller in size and weight
than at spring births. Since arranging
to have heifers make their first births
in the fall have had no trouble nor
losses, whereas with spring births /
have not only lost many calves, but also
lost two heifers that cost me $500 each.
And what hurt me no less was that
some of my brother breeders whom !
had persuaded that the Holland cattle
were the best dairy cattle in the world
also lost in the same way and equally
with me.
had three heifers of the same age,
sisters on the side of their sire, and
equally we'll bred on the side of theis
dams. One of them l permitted to cal re
in the fall when she was two ears old
and she came through all right because
she made a small calf. The second
heifer attempted to give birth in the
spring when she was thirty months old
to calf that was pressed to death in
the pelvic cavity and l was even glad to
have saved the mother. The call
weighed one hundred and twenty
pounds The third heifer calved in the
fall when she was three years old and
came through all right, of course. II
takes, l am aware, more than few
isolated facts or even the experience Of
one man to make a general rule. But
think we may set it down that fall
born calf will be smaller than spring
born calf, all other circumstances beire
equal.
Much depends upon the age and con
dition of the female at breeding time
Virgil told us long time ago that the
female at breeding time should be thiI
in flesh but healthy in all her parts
We can feed the dam during pregnanc,
so as to produce more or less fetus
growth, and the same foods will have {
like influence that they would have if fec
to the calf after its birth. know Of nc
period during dairy cows life-tim,
that she should be made fat, but thinl
it best to give them at-producing food
only when they are in full milk flow
and as far as can control their organ
ism would have them send most of tn,
fat of their foods through their udders
l have seen both heifers and middle
aged cows injured in their milking
qualities by being made and kept bee
fat.
If could choose the two months dur
ing which all my calves should be borl
they would be April and October.
live in latitude 36 degrees; furthe
north l should think the spring calve
ought to be later and the fall calve
earlier Further south the sprinl
calves would best come in March ant
the fall calves in November A Gov
that calves in the spring months viii
give more milk than if she calves in tn
fall, but for dairy purposes we want a
least half of them to calve in the fall
and now l always give the heifers tn
preference of this time of calving. 1t i
also good plan to make the time be
tween the first and second calving eight
cen months, and to keep them givin
milk all this time even though the guam
tity may be small part of the time. Thi
fixes the milll-producing habit very pei
manently in their copst buttons. If the
have been bred quite young the frs
time they very frequently take holt
day of their own accord; and when the
do they use the time for more growt
toward normal maturity.