Since the plants here recommended for the nourishment of the cow, afford
the best milk-producing food the whole year round, the time of calving
may be left to the option of the owner, for it will not affect the
quantity of milk that the cow gives. If the milk is mostly needed in
summer, the cow should calve in spring, and if it be desirable to have
more milk in winter, she should calve in autumn. I might add, that if the
butter, or a part of it, is to be sold, it will be more profitable to
have the calf in fall than in any other season, because butter brings the
highest prices in winter.
The disposal of the calf depends on circumstances, of which the owner is
the best judge. If he concludes to keep it on account of the value of the
breed, or for any other reason, he should raise it by hand, not allowing
it to suck more than three days at furthest. For the first few days it
should receive only the fresh milk of the cow; afterwards it may be fed
on warm fresh milk, skim-milk, buttermilk, whey, and hay-tea, until it
is old enough to subsist on solid food. Fresh milk should be the leading
diet in the beginning, and should be gradually diminished in quantity as
the calf increases in strength. Hay-tea is made by pouring boiling water
on hay, and letting it steep for about two hours. If the calf is not to
be raised, it ought to be sold before it is a week old, because the milk
that it drinks before it is ready for the shambles, is worth more than
the price it will bring. If a purchaser for the calf cannot be found
while it is so young, it is most profitable to kill it, and bury it in
the compost heap, as soon as the milk of the cow is fit to use. I simply
state this as a fact, without recommending it to be done, for it is cruel
work; but so is any butchering, and if the calf is to be killed, it
really matters not how soon it is done. The sooner it is removed from the
cow the less she will grieve for its loss.