and expense of raising the calves are reduced to a minimum by this method of feeding. For the production of the highest grade of veal, whole milk is the only feed given, and the feeding is pushed as fast as possible so as to secure rapid gains and get the calf ready for market in prime veal condition. There is a strong demand for choice veal of this kind in Europe, and calves fattened on whole milk exclusively bring fancy prices; also in this country the demand for such veal is increasing in the large cities. Calves fed whole milk only can be readily distinguished by experts by the white of the eye being free from any yellow tint and the inside of the eyelids, lips and nose being perfectly white." QUESTIONS 1. What is the average birth weight of dairy calves of different breeds, and CHAPTER XXII how is it influenced ? 2. Give the main feeding stuffs used for feeding calves. 3. Discuss briefly when they are used and their relative vaiues. 4. Give three remedies for calf scours. 5. Give the main precautions to be observed in feeding young calves. 6. Name half a dozen different combinations of grain feeds that may be fed with skim milk to calves. 7. State the general value of calf meals. 8. Outline the method of raising (a)a dairy calf; (b) a beef calf; (c) a veal calf. 9. Why is skim milk with grain feeds preferable to whole milk in raising dairy calves for market? Reference: Farmers' Bul. 777, Feeding and Management of Dairy Calves and Young Dairy Stock. * Nebraska Bul. 75. For descriptions of the methods of feeding adopted in making Scotch and Dutch veal, see Henry-Morrison, “Feeds and Feeding,” p. 488; see also California Bulletin 271 and Circular 186. FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE Feeding Standards for Dairy Cows.-In studying the best methods of feeding dairy cows, the leading standards should be kept well in mind. 1. The Wolff-Lehmann Standards for Dairy Cows-1000 pounds live weight The dairy cow is kept primarily for producing milk, one of the most valuable human foods and the raw material for the manufacture of butter, cheese, and other dairy products. Through selection, liberal feeding, and careful management, the cow has gradually been developed to her present wonderful capacity for dairy production. The average production of many dairy herds at the present time exceeds one pound of butter fat per head for each day in the year, or over 360 pounds for the year. Cows holding production records for milk and butter fat have, however, exceeded this amount many times, producing, respectively, over thirty-three thousand pounds of milk and twelve hundred pounds of butter fat in a year.' * Records of yearly production (1920), Tilly Alcartra 123459, 33,425.3 pounds milk; Duchess Skylark Ormsby, 124,514, 1205.09 pounds butter fat. While it does not lie within the scope of this book to discuss the various factors that have a bearing on this production, it seems desirable to state briefly the main influences that affect the value of a cow in the herd in order that we may see more clearly, what part the feeding plays in the successful management of a dairy (Fig. 43). Fig. 43.—Dairy cows of good breeding and well kept and cared for make excellent returns "at the pail." Composition of Milk.-Cows' milk is composed of the following constituents: Water, butter fat, proteins (casein and albumen), milk-sugar, and ash. The amounts of these components present in inilk of different origin, or even in milk from the same cow at different times, vary widely. The limits of variation for normal milk from American cows are about as follows: 2 Composition of Cows' Milk, with Variations, in Per Cent 2 2 Farrington-Woll, “ Testing Milk and its Products,” 24th edition, p. 18; see also Wisconsin Research Bulletin 26, p. 62. The fat is the most valuable single component of the milk; it determines the quality and largely also, the value of the milk as a human food, and as a raw material for the manufacture of dairy products. A high fat content is, as a rule, accompanied by a high per cent of solids other than fat, and is, therefore, of direct value in the manufacture of butter, cream, and condensed milk, and, up to a certain extent, in cheese-making as well.” Factors Influencing Milk Production. The main factors that influence the amount and quality of milk produced by cows are: Breed, individuality, age, stage of lactation period, frequency of milking, condition, excitement, season of the year, temperature and weather, grooming, and amount and character of feed. Breed.-The various breeds of cows yield milk in different amounts and of different quality, as is well known to all. The following compilation, giving the average production of milk and butter fat by pure-bred dairy cows, will show the extent of the differences between the various breeds in these respects. The figures were compiled from the results obtained in tests conducted for a series of years at four American experiment stations (Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Wisconsin). The cost of feed required to produce 100 pounds of milk and 1 pound of butter fat in the case of the different breeds is also given. Prices of feeds have advanced 100 per cent or more since these breed tests were conducted; hence the figures in the last columns should be increased correspondingly to apply to present-day conditions. Test of Pure-bred Dairy Cows-Average Results for Four Stations Total and average.. 79 287 71.2 17.1 3 See also Wisconsin Report, 1901, p. 85. Only a limited number of cows of the various breeds were included in these tests, and the conditions under which the tests were conducted at the different stations differed more or less, as did also the breeds represented in the respective trials. The results, therefore, cannot be taken as absolute evidence of the capacity of the different breeds for dairy production, but they doubtless show in a general way the relative value of the breeds in the dairy. We note that the breeds rank as shown below in regard to: (a) Yield of milk, (b) yield of butter fat, (c) per cent of fat, (d) feed cost for 100 pounds milk, (e) feed cost per one pound butter fat. с 1. Holstein b d Brown Swiss Brown Swiss Holstein Guernsey Jersey Shorthorn Guernsey Shorthorn Am, Holderness Ayrshire Devon Ayrshire Individuality.—There are wide variations between individuals within the same breed as to the capacity for milk production and the quality of the milk produced. These variations are of much 1 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 S 2 3 FIG. 44.-Normal changes in the monthly yield and the fat content of the milk from dairy cows with the progress of the lactation period, based on the results obtained in the Wisconsin Dairy Cow Competition, 1909-11. greater magnitude than the average differences between the breed. The great difference between individuals of the same breed as regards the amount of production is familiar to all; an average.cow produces, say, 20 pounds of milk a day, containing three-fourths pound |