Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08
THE BUFFALO CALVES
HOW THE PROBLEM OF FEEDING
WAS SOLVED.
Trainer Led a Strenuous Existence in
Trying to Domesticate the
Wild Creatures. L.

It was so late when the four buffalo calves
arrived at my home, that Morrison, who
brought them over the mountain from the
Corbin yards, consented to remain over
night. I doubt If he slept very much
for the buffalo calves were the pride of his
heart, and to see four of the finest of them
(for 1 had had my pick doomed to what
believe he considered almost certain death,
must surely have given him bad night
got up very early and went out to the
barn. and stood for some minutes watch
ing the wld-eyed calves as they stood
ready to dash themselves against the walls
of their pen at the slightest attempt to ap-
proach them.
well! What do you think of them?"
l turned my head, and there was Morri-
son, who had been watching them prob
ably since daylight. l answered that L
thought l had my work cut out for me FOR
some time to come. An indescribable look
came over the mans face. but L knew what
was passing in his mind. He was Won
dering if there was no way to save his
darling calves without offense to me. AL
last, with smile which would have melted
an iceberg, he said, very gently, Il think
two O. them will be all yen care to handle,
sir They're not like onything else, We
know; we can't do nothing with en- When
We try to make EN- feed, one o EN- VIII
make We dom tired, and then just think
H., IL
let me take two O. them back to their
mothers this morning, and yen never re-
greet It," Sincerity was written In every
line of his face, and he gained his point
Took Back Two of the Calves.
/ consented to his taking two of the
calves back with him. with the understand
ing that If 1 succeeded in keeping my two
alive for ten days. I was to have two more
A look of great joy came over his honest
face-joy tempered only by the thought
that he could not take all four of the pre-
cious babies back with him. SO, AFTER
some trouble we Grated two OF the calves,
and Morrison set off over the mountain,
leaving me to do the best / could with
my two little tawny demons, which were
apparently quite prepared to starVe TO
death rather than accept the hospitality or
man.
A big HoIstein cow had arrived on pur
pose to insure a plentiful supply of milk,
and several times during the morning
went out with bottle of 1t to invite the
calves to drink. Each time the bottle was
kicked out of my hand, and the last time
1t was kicked into a thousand little bits
At 3 o'clock In the afternoon, when they
had been at least thirty hours without
food. went to my editor friend, and toio
him there was work ahead for US.
We went to the barn, and with the aid
of the deer crate which the calves had
come in, we made narrow stan IN one
corner of the pen. Then l armed the edl-
tor with a quart bottle OF milk. capped with
a large nipple like those used on calf feed
ers and then 1 took off my coat
Irving to Feed the Wild Creatures.
The two calves were tearing round the
pen doing their best to jump the fve-foot
wall. and 1 waited until one of them came
close to the stall we had made. AS he came
to the nearest point made a jump for him,
bo omit lived what the mat
ter was l forced him back into the stall,
mined him to the side of It, with my hip
against his body, and with one arm around
his girth and the other about his neck he
was in such a position that he could not go
back or to either side, and the only thing
he could do was to plunge forward, and TO
this exercise he devoted all his energy.
For about ten minutes Ut seemed about an
hour the air was full of hair and hoofs and
good old hay, as the vigorous beast sprang
forward again and again, believing all the
time as though he was being murdered as
perhaps he thought he was All TINS time
the editor was dutifuliy holding the milk
bottle as near to the calf's mouth as ne
could get, and delivering honeyed phrases
which sounded strangely funny when con-
trasted with the angry remarks OF the caiI.
At last the struggling creature, not ana
tired from the violence of his exertions, be-
came quiet for a moment, and the nipple.
dripping with milk, was pushed between MS
frothing lips. Quick as flash he seized
the offending rubber In his teeth, and the
next instant he was sucking furiOusly, as
Though to spite U.S. We let him have pint
and then set him free and repeated the eX-
neriment with the other calf, with precisely
the same result.
The Feeding Problem Solved.
At I o'clock there was another desperate
fight with each calf, but each was con-
auered at last and drank his milk with more
energy than good grace. At 10 that night,
when l entered the pen with the milk bot
tie, the calves were standing quiet in cor
ner, and when l held out the nipple to one
of them he took it gently In his mouth and
gently sucked the bottle dry. The other
calf also took his milk without being held.
and the problem of getting them to take
food was solved. Whether this milk, which
was doubtless quite different from buffalo
milk would agree with the youngsters was
another question, the answer 10 winch we
must wait for.
Next day fed the calves very frequently,
giving them half a pint of warm milk at a
time They were always ready for 1t and
often wanted more. But they were getting
little exercise and thought it better to go
slowly, especially as we did not know how
the cows milk would affect them. also
gave them some green sods, the grass on
which they nibbled little. They also nib
bed at a bunch, some hay which put In
for them. They no longer dashed about the
pen when l went inside; they began to rec
ogniZe me as the chief of the commlSSary
department and treated me with due re-
spect When l brought their milk they al
lowed me to pat them and rub their heads,
but when they had finished they had no
further use for me, and If l persisted In an
effort to caress one of them he would butt
me vigorously. His plan of attack consist
ed in leaping forward, bringing the fore feet
down with great force, II possible upon my
toes, and then bringing the lowered head up
with all his might. If / lodged. or If, for
any other reason, he failed to strike me
with his head at the first attempt. he would
not try again Immediately, but II his head
reached me the first time he would follow 1t
right up and give me several more good
punches in rapid succession.
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNES.