Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-05-27
The Dairy Calf In Summer.

That time of year has now arrived
when some one arises to say that I'M
calves should be kept in cool, comfort
able box stalls, away from flies and tn.
discomforts of the heat Of summer.
accordingly arise to protest.
The advice to keep the calves thus 10
darkened stalls is ali right, perhaps, il II
is desired to make a thin-skinned, fine
haired, delicate-limbed animal, that vii
make q pretty picture as an animated
thing; but as q foundation for the future
dairy animal it Is not success.
The real beauty of an animal lies IN III
adaptability to q purpose. The specia
dairy animal is thus thing OF rare beau
ty, Judged from Its functional develop
ment. It 10 built upon lines OF strong
dairy usefulness. There is no lack OF
balance between its specialized dairy
points and the physical development
necessary to contribute to its highly
profitable dairy and breeding perform
ance.
WHAT IS CONSTITUTION ? -
Such dairy animals strong starting
point is constitution. Constitution u
rather difficult to describe in dairy an
imal, for 1t is rather one OF those things
We know an animal possesses than one
we can tell about in. concrete words; but
| may say that dairy constitution is NOT
evidenced by great size, extra strong
bone structure, much fat or q suggestion
of coarseness.
The dairy animal Ia not intended to
look we'll on the butchers block, or to
yield up maximum of -"choice cuts"
nor is she supposed to be built to be q
working partner-a yoke mate TO the
ox-or to be able to travel long distances
in short time.
Instead, her constitution rather sug.
gests the strength of repose, a certain
refinem of manner born of her conf
deuce in her ability to discharge her
obligation as q producer of very good
food. She carries no sign OF weak
ness in any part of her structure, but 10
the personification of bovine maternal
assurance that she will carry through the
undertaking she has on hand. She
looks out of clear eye and breathes
through we'll opened nostril; carries
her head as one who can do and knows
it. Her body proper is very capacious
affair, fashioned beautifully, not for pic
ture purposes, but for her single pur-
pose of containing large quantities OF
bulky feeds and enabling her to utilize
them iu her operations of making milk.
She will eat sixteen kinds OF feeds to
produce one incompatible golden brick
of butter.
FRESH AIR AND SUNSHINE.
These things, and more, convey to the
COW man the idea of cow constitution,
and they are not developed in the calf
that is coddled away in the darkened
stall all through the blessed life-giving
summer.
What does 1t matter II the silken hair
of the calf is bleached and coarsened In
the sunshine and washed by the sum.
mer rains ? We can never have good
red potential blood unless We have part
Of the sunshine in It; the muscles grow
from use; there is life and strength. abil-
ity and resistance In the elements OF the
out of doors.
II flies get on the calf. 1t has tail to
switch them off. Imagine refined calf
hood Summing all summer In darken-
ed stable, when it should be ruminating
and resting in the pleasant shade OF
whispering trees, generously provided In
the pasture, when beyond the shade,
there is the sunshine and grass and run
ming water, sunrise and sunset, the stars
of night and the break Of day. The doc
trine of the transmigration of souls may
be true and sometime you may be calf.
w. F. McSparran In Tribune Farmer.