67 



The references which have been made to it in the columun of the agricultural press pro- 

 voked further curiosity and interest on the part of Canadian farmers, to learn from 

 some authoritative source in Canada what effect the operation would have. The 

 mode of procedure was to put each steer into the sling which we use for lifting the 

 bulls when the hoofs are to be trimmed. The neck was fastened securely between 

 two upright pieces of scantling, one of which was movable at the top, after the style 

 of the common old-fashioned stable stanchion. The head was then tied to one side. 

 The hair around the base of each horn was clipped off, to permit the cutting to be 

 effected in such a way as to remove a narrow ring of skin with the horn. Leavitt's 

 dehorning machine was used on two horns. It is constructed in such a way as to 

 clip the horn off at one snap. In the case of three-year-old steers, the horns were 

 too hard and tough for one man to use the machine with sufficient quickness of 

 motion. For the other horns, a common fine-toothed carpenter's saw was used. 



The operation on each horn lasted from one quarter to one half of a minute. In 

 the case of two of the steers, the saw cut through an artery, from which a small jet 

 of blood spurted. The wounds on the heads of two of the steers, appeared to be 

 acutely painful for nearly a week; the other two animals did not appear to suffer 

 any inconvenience after the operation was ended. It was not expected that blood 

 would flow so freely from the wounds as it did in the two cases mentioned, and no 

 particular preparation had been made to staunch the flow at once. A cloth covered 

 with coal-tar, is probably one of the most accessible and suitable applications which 

 can be made on the ordinary farm. The steers have been fed in box stalls, running 

 loose in pairs, and they seem to be most healthy and gentle since the wounds 

 healed. 



In the case of the Jersey bull, he had become so vicious that the attendants 

 went into his box-stall only at the jeopardy of their lives. Instructions had been 

 given several months previously that no one was to go into his box-stall until after 

 he had been securely tied. For the dehorning operation, the bull was tied in a 

 similar manner to the steers. His horns were sawn off as close to the skull as pos- 

 sible. Not a thimbleful of blood altogether was shed ; and when he was turned 

 loose in his box-stall he acted as mildly as a sheep. 



A full report on the feeding of the dehorned steers will appear after the com- 

 pletion of the experiment, which is expected to last until after April, 1892. 



The Feeding of Six Steers. 



Six steers were purchased for feeding purposes in November, 1890. They were 

 a fairly even lot of two-year-olds, and apparently were grades of Shorthorns. On 

 Ist December, 1890, the average weight was 1,135 lb. each. They were weighed 

 every week, and all the feed which they consumed was weighed every day. They 

 had free access to water in a trough in front of the stalls, and a supply of salt was 

 provided at one side of each manger. The following Table shows the weight of each 

 steer on Ist December, 1890, and every four weeks thereafter until 18th May, 1891. 



7p — 5^ 



