There are many opinions about the length of time that a cow should be suffered to be dry before calving; some farmers advising the cows to be let dry two months, and others milking them till within a fortnight of the time of calving. As far as my own experience goes, the latter plan is the best, as I have observed that, when cows have been dry a long time, they are very subject to inflammation in the udder when they are again milked, instead of the contrary being the case, as is commonly supposed. When a cow is to be let dry, a little milk is left in the udder every time of milking, and in about a week or ten days the secretion of milk will cease. The first milk after calving is called biestings, and is so very different in quality from the other milk, that it should not be mixed with it. It is of a yellow colour and a glutinous nature, and, though it is used in some places for making puddings and custards without eggs, it ought always to be reserved for the calf, to whose use nature has especially assigned it. When calves are allowed to suck their mothers' milk for the first four or five days after they are calved, they have seldom any thing the matter with them; but, when they are fed with the milk of other cows, they generally require castor oil and other medicines. Calves, when they are to be reared, are generally fed principally on milk for the first thirteen weeks, after which they are fed partly with hay tea, which the dairy-maids make them suck through their fingers, till they are old enough to eat grass; but the rearing of calves is rather too difficult a task for you to undertake from any directions that I could give you; and, as for the management of those poor calves which are to be fattened and then sold to the butcher, I am sure you would not wish to know any thing about it. Some people are very partial to goat's milk, as it is remarkably rich and sweet; but _goats_ are rather troublesome creatures. In the first place, the female goats are very capricious, and will not only seldom permit a stranger to milk them, but will often refuse to give down their milk even to those to whom they are accustomed. They are also very troublesome from their being much more partial to branches of trees than grass; and if they can ever contrive to get into a shrubbery, which they will do if possible, they will destroy nearly all the shrubs in an incredibly short space of time. Besides this, some goats are very fond of butting at children or any persons who may appear weak and delicate; and, even though they may not be able to do any serious mischief, they may cause considerable alarm. Many persons are very fond of the flesh of kids, but it is more eaten abroad than in England. When goats are kept, they do best in flocks, and they should have access to shelter, both in winter and summer, extremes of heat and cold being alike prejudicial to them; and the house in which they are kept should have a paved floor, and no litter.