418 Journal of the Departmem' of Agriculture. — Nov., 1922. 



The instruiueiit was originally desioiied ior European cattle, but 

 it has been found tliat bulls reared upon the oi)en veld in this country 

 generally show a thicker scrotum, and that for bulls over two years old 

 the closing of tlie pincers on the testicular cords can be facilitati^l by 

 the use of the extensions to the handles shown in Fig. 1. 



These extensions simply consist of tubes about 10 inches in length, 

 and of li inch internal diameter. They can be slipped on whenever 

 greater leverage is required, and easily removed again when the 

 pincers are used for young calves or sheep, as shown in Fig. 2a. 



In Brazil, where conditions are similar to those of the Union, 

 and where the Burdizzo pincers are widely used, the same type of 



Fig. i.—c Testicular bag of a calf lO.V montiis nld, which was castrated with 

 the pincers three months before its death. /< Atrophied and dead testicle of 

 same calf, compared witli h, which is a normal size testicle from a calf 

 one month old. 



extensions are adopted for the handles. Ktich, however, has recently 

 described another useful modification of the instrument, in which the 

 handles are lengthened, and a liow-shaped knee-support constructed 

 upon the end of one of them. This device affords a better grip, and 

 steadies the pincers during compression of the cord when the opera- 

 tion is being undertaken by one man. This type, as illustrated in 

 Fig. 2b, is now advertised for sale. 



In South Africa, where the farmer can generally get an assistant 

 to hold the testicular cord during the operation, the simple pipe 

 extensions, lengthening the handles by 3 to 6 inches, will generally 

 meet all requirements, but for the man who prefers to undertake the 



