REPORT OF MR. S. A. BEDFORD. 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



CATTLE. 



363 



The cattle on the Brandon farm have kept in good health during the past year, 

 and the herd now consists of the following animals : — 



Name of Animal. 



Lord Lassie .' . 



Violet 



Mary of Brandon . . 



Esther 



Prairie Buttercup . . 



Eva 



Prince Charlie 



Dandy 



Pritnrose 



Sandy 



Bonnie Doon . . . . 

 Queen of Brandon . . 

 Siepkje of Brandon. 



Brandon Friar 



Richard Lyons 



Lady Janet]trey — 



Pansy 



Violet 



Rose 



Reddy (Steer) 



Dick 



Breed. 



Shorthorn 



If 



II 



II 



II 



II 

 Ayrshire. . 



II 



11 



u 

 II 



Holstein . . 



II 



II 

 Guernsey . 

 Grade 



Age. 



3 

 4 



14 

 3 

 7 

 5 

 6 



11 

 2 



14 



10 

 2 

 2 



14 

 3 



12 

 6 

 4 

 2 



22 



13 



years. . , 

 If . , 

 months 

 years . . . 

 months, 



II 



II 

 years . . 



months 



II 

 years . . 



II . . 

 months, 

 years . . 



II 



II 



II 

 months 



Weight. 



Pounds. 



670 

 260 

 710 

 180 

 465 

 350 

 445 

 350 

 065 

 050 

 510 

 170 

 320 

 950 

 820 

 280 

 2G0 

 345 

 300 

 950 

 840 



EXPEMMENT IN FEEDING STEERS. 



DEHORNING AND ITS EFFECTS ON CATTLE. 



Fifteen steers were selected for this test. They were apparently Shorthorn 

 grades. Four in each lot were coming three years old and one coming four years old, 

 when the feeding started. They fairly represented the better class of animals raised 

 in the province. These were divided into three groups of five each. Ten of these 

 were dehorned, and five were not dehorned. One of the dehorned groups was fed 

 in a stall loose ; the others were tied up alongside of the group with horns. 



The dehorning operation was performed as follows : The animal was placed in 

 a strongly built stanchion, a stout halter put on and a rope run from the halter to a 

 ring in the floor, the hair at the back of the horn was turned back and the cut made 

 so that the hair lapped over the scar. A common earpenter's saw newly sharpened, 

 was used. The cattle were kept in the barn after the operation. They all bled pro- 

 fusely, but only one or two lost their appetite, and these only for a meal or two. The 

 wounds in every instance healed quickly and without any ofi'ensive odour. 



The ten animals were tied in double stalls with chains. The five untied animals 

 were confined in a stall 10 feet by 28 feet and were fed in a trough running the length 

 of the stall. 



When purchased on November 20, 1899, the steers cost 3^ cents per pound live 

 weight, and sold on May 12, 1900, for 3| cents per pound. 



Owing to the comparatively low price of fat cattle in the spring, all were fed at 

 a loss, but the experiment, as a test of dehorning, was a very successful one, and would 

 lead us to the conclusion that dehorning has very little effect on the animal either one 

 way or tlie other. 



