Remark.—It must be noted, however, that carrots, though very excellent, are a very expensive food. They would not enable a farmer to pay his rent.
1076. Excellent Method of rearing Calves, and of preserving the Cream, and a great Part of the Milk during that Time.—Put some water on the fire, nearly the quantity that the calf can drink. When it boils, throw into it one or two handfuls of oatmeal, and suffer the whole to boil for a minute. Then leave it to cool until new-milk-warm. Then mix with it one or two quarts of milk, that has stood twelve hours, and has been skimmed: stir the whole, and give it the calf to drink. At first it is necessary to make the calf drink by presenting the fingers to it, but it soon learns to do without this help, and will grow incomparably faster than by the old method. This new method is not only a theoretical truth, but its success is confirmed by experience.
The economical advantages resulting from it are as follows. According to the old method, a calf intended for slaughter is made to suck for three weeks, and those intended for agriculture, from six to eight weeks. Supposing the cow gives only a moderate quantity of milk, the value of it will amount, in three weeks, to nearly the value of the calf. If, on the contrary, we rear a calf according to this method, we consume during the three weeks only three quarts of oatmeal, at most, and the skimmed milk.
Calves that have been brought up by this method have been always healthy and strong, and not subject to disease. They are not suffered to suck at all, but to have the pure milk of the mother to drink for the first four days, because it has been observed, that the separation, after four days, is more painful to the mother than when the calf is taken from her soon after its birth.
1077. Rules for Milking Cows.—Cows should be milked three times a day, if fully fed throughout the summer, and great caution should be exercised by the persons employed, to draw the milk from them completely, not only to increase the quantity of produce, but to preserve its quality. Any portion which may be left in the udder seems gradually absorbed in the system, and no more is formed than enough to supply the loss of what is taken away, and by the continuance of the same mode, a yet farther diminution of the secretion takes place, till at length scarcely any is produced. This last method of milking is always practised, when it is intended that a cow should be rendered dry.
1078. Proper Temperature for a Dairy.—The apartments appropriated for dairy purposes should, if possible, possess a moderate temperature throughout the year, and should be kept perfectly clean and dry. The temperature of about fifty-five degrees is most favorable for the separation of the cream from the milk. The utensils of the dairy are best made of wood; lead and copper are soluble in acid, and highly pernicious; and though iron is not injurious, the taste of it might render the produce of the dairy unpalatable.