Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1910-07-23
Feeding the Calf

Many farm boy remembers
the trials and tribulations of
handling calves. The seances
were tragedies then, but all
were ridiculous. You never in
your life saw anyone try to make
a calf do something that the calf
thought differently about, that
the very acme of the ludicrouS
was not attained. A calf is a Sc
rious comedian, it cannot help
itself.
Captain A. Gibson, for years
chief record clerk in the office of
the state auditor, has a good
story of one of these wrestling
matches. 1t happened forty
years ago, down in Neosho coun-
ty, on the banks of Crooked
creek.
Gibson had multifariouS du-
ties, as all the farm boys have,
but among them was the milk
ing of a very fine COW; one
that gave record quantities of
milk, and which because of its
value was given the most con
siderate kind of treatment. But
this COW had calf that raised a
lot of cOmmotion continually
The calf insisted upon being
present each time that Gibson
did the milking; and not only did
the calf want to be present, but
insisted upon having a firm grip
upon one of the teatS and feast !
ing right royalty. That calf had
a fool notion that its feeding
time was simultaneous with the
time that Gibson milked the COW. |
What IS more, the COW insisted !
upon the arrangement. and |
would not stand being MIXED |
unless the calf was also attached /
to her. While the COW was fresh |
the arrangement carried on sat |
though it was rather
awkward. But in time the COW /
lessened her supply of milk and
md the calf was getting big
to look after itself. Git
son held a mass meeting with
to solve the problem.
. He hit upon the idea of fasten-
ng rope about the calf's neck
md then looping the rope about
jhe calf nose He, attached the
end of the rope in the ear of his
boot. In those day the value of
! boot was determined by the
strength of it's ear" ANY
arm bov will back up that asser-
ion. Gibson had the contriv-
nee fixed 50 that the rope fast
med on the calf's neck and ,
about its nose and then !
astened to his own boot had the
fleet of pulling the calf nose
Lown close to the ground and :
way from the source of the 7
nilk supply. Of course the calf ,
nd the COW both fused about it +
or time, but finally both be-
anne mobile under the heroic
reatment and the calf seemed /
erfectly satisfied to have it's
cad held down to the ground if
could only stand by the COW.
ran along smoothly c
Or couple of weeks after the t
ew arrangement was started L
tut one day the COW became Z
while the milking t
as going on. The calf started t
fter her mother. The moose I
tipped from its neck, and the J
esult was that one end of the o
)pe was fastened about the t
alf's neck and the other end t.
as tied to Gibson's boot. The h
alf went and Gibson followed, 4
cad over heels, and of course. I'll
nwillingly. They were close to IL
rocked creek little stream
hose bed was mostly mud and
little skim of oozy water. The Il
IF went over the bank and Glib n
IN went over the bank. The o
llf went into the mud, and so :
d Gibson. Gibson stuck in ri
le mud. The calf didn't. The G
If couldn't pull Gibson out, but al
led mighty hard. 1t might be tc
st as well to. draw the curtain b