The Opelousas courier., 1892-08-06

a lire of good ancestry. A noted au-
thority says that 'seows breed from the
blood, not their performance" so that a
heifer calf from a milking strain is pre-
ferable to one that has a promis.
cuous parentage. The care of a calf and
cow is a matter of administering to the
office of the cows motherhood, and all
of the directing agencies of stable and
field should be to enlarge the powers of
the animal to increase her milk produc-
zion, sc that when the heifer, at twenty
eight or thirty months old, comes into
the dairy, she will be to all intents and
purposes a developed COW.
The calf, if a spring arrival, should
he taken from the COW in due time, and
put on prepared food. Here the dairy
man must face the question whether to
take the calf off at once, or allow it to-
run with the mother for afew weeks. A
matter of profit comes in, for butter fats
are worth twenty five cents per pound,
and the latter practice soon makes the
litter helfer a costly one. Skim milk,
even when lavishly fed, is not an ideal
food. In the stomach of the young
calves it does not readily digest, for,
while the butter fats are not in them
selves a sustaining food, they are grea
promoters of digestion and creators OF
energy. If profit is an object, and
| growth is insisted upon, a substitute
must be found. Linseed meal, cooked
to a jelly and added to skim milk, at the
rate of about two pounds to one hundred
pounds of milk. makes the ration abou'
equal to the whole milk. Later on, cat
meal, with the hulls sifted out and then
scalded, makes a capital addition to the
linseed. Feed the milk sweet and warm.
Do not let it get sour, and then feed
cold. Sour milk has lost about all its
sugar element. The sugar, next to the
~casein, is the most important thing in
skim milk. Think of feeding a baby
calf cold sour milk! What mother
would think of feeding it to her own
baby, and yet this is, over and over
again, a mans judgment of i~nfantile
wants.
When the calf has developed its fourth
stomach and begins to chew its cud
solids may be fed along with the fluids
but the milk or mush must not be aban
doned for some months. / am inclined
to think that the calf should be stablee
the first summer; not tied up, but givel
the freedom of the stable, well bedded
and not be compelled to underg'
the life of q 'sgrasser." 1t costs a
much to keep the brood of flies that sub
sist upon the summer calf as the calf it
self. with the additional ~disadvantag
that the calf is compelled to prepare thi
food for the flies. 1t the stable will en-
able the calf to retain the lies share, til
gain in worth will be surprising
There is no reason why the heifer ca
should be so poorly kept that, whe
six months old, it will sell for less tina
a veal calf Of four weeks. When til
time of stomach development ceases
clover, whole oats, and similar foot
may be fed, but tho feeding should NJ
be so lavish as to induces beef forum
habit. Feed so as to make good groTt
and thrift. If we SO feed as to fatte
the heifer unduly, the tendency is tina
when high feeding for milk IS attempte'
the beef form again appears, and IS hat
to hold in check. Handle the little ca
so that when it develops into a helfer
will have COW habits. Make her life
cow like as possible. Do not fool VII
. her. but hands her; go through wit
the milking motions, at least, 50 q
when she takes her place in the dal
! she will not have to be subjected TO q
: abreaking' ordeal.
The two-year-old heifers had best RI
J with the dairy herd, come and go WI
: it. take their places in the stables an
= have their dish of bran. These heite
L are now expected to calve in Oetobe
9 and through the summer each one q
q not only her own life and growth tc pr
!, vide for, but another life must be sn
L norted. bone and muscle provided fe
L heterogeneous foods, like oats and Glow
e have had a stimulating effect upon mi
e production, and at this time it is far
/ !, suppose also a developing effect upon T
: udder itself.
This, with good stable life in the W
e ter, flesh making foods rather than Il
3 tening ones, and those to some ext
V of somewhat succulent character, reg
y lar feeding and comfortable warmth,
e sence of the sstoughening' process, VI
. plenty Of pure air and abundant s1nlig
y to build up constitution and vigor, y
give US the hardy COW with power
es
Is transmit her good qualities to her daus
81 ters.-American Agriculturist. !