The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-08-26


sell for a substantial advance over
market prices they may be allowed to
run with their mothers and live on
new milk This is too expensive
feed for beef calves. however AS soon
as the calf is week old it should be
gradually changed from whole to skim
milk, according to the plan given in
article s. AS soon as possible the
calves should be taught to eat shelled
corn. with perhaps a few oats mixed
with it. With clover or alfalfa for
roughage. shelled corn alone does very
we'll The calves should be given all
the rough feed they will eat. as by
developing large capacity when
young greater gains can be obtained
later.
From the standpoint of milk produc-
ton it is best to have the calves come
in the fall. but if cheap gains on the
calves is the main point sought spring
calving is preferable. In this way the
calves will have to be kept through but
one winter. and two summers of cheap
gains on grass can be obtained. If the
calves come in the spring they should
be turned on grass as soon as possible.
A shady pasture. with an occasional
spraying for flies when they are bad.
will add to the gains. Some grain
should be fed all summer. the amount
being controlled largely by the price.
Heavy grain feeding increases the rate
81 dc ha
feeding should continue throughout
the winter. with the addition of plenty
of clover or alfalfa hay and little
silage or roots, if such feed can be
had.
One of the best ways to feed to corn
at this time is to snap it and run it
through a slicer. There is freshness
about snapped corn that makes the
cattle relish it great deal more than
they do corn that has been husked.
The feeding value of the husks
amounts to considerable too. A little
oil or cottonseed meal added to the ra-
ton will cheaper the cost of gain if
corn is high in price. The most rapid
gains are made where alfalfa or clover
forms the only roughage. fed at the
rate of about three pounds of hay to
one of corn. Adding little cheaper
roughage reduces the cost of gain,
however. Part of the clover may be
replaced to advantage by silage.
The feed given should be liberal. as
calves tend to grow rather than to fat
ten. This tendency is specially evi-
dent in calves of scrub" ancestry.
The feeder should endeavor to make
them grow and fatten at the same
time, never losing the calf fat Dur
ing the early part of the second sum-
mer. while the grass is at its best. the
grain feeding may slacken somewhat.
but should be increased again after a
month or so until the calves are get
ting all they will clean up. The prop
er time to market will depend largely
upon the price and the finish of the
cattle. A little extra finish adds con-
siderably to the price.
In experiments that have been car
ried on to determine the relative cost
of gains it has been found that gains
can be put on yearlings from % TO 80
per cent cheaper than on two-year-
olds. Objection is sometimes made to
baby beef raising on the ground that
the cheap roughage. such as cornstalks
and straw. cannot be disposed of in
this way. This is true. but the cows
will use large part of this feed. and
the rest can be turned into bedding
and used to swell the size of the ma
nure pile. There are some advantages