690 Journal of Agriculture. [10 Nov., 1909- 



by beginners when not striking a joint), the operator should know what 

 to do to stop the bleeding. A light touch with the iron on the veins 

 will often stop the few that do bleed, but at od.l times it may be better 

 to take a small portion off back to the joint. Most operators, when first 

 beginning searing, draw the tail tightly, and this, together with the fact 

 that they do' not strike a joint, causes them to leave a portion of the 

 bone projecting past the flesh and skin. The tail should be held looseh 

 and pushed towards the lamb a little. In this case, the loose skin will 

 come back and cover the vein and bone better, and prevent severe bleeding 

 in the few cases that may miss. 



To be successful with the searing iron, the main object is to re- 

 member to go through with a clean straight cut ; for, if the bone be left 

 projecting to any extent and the skin and flesh cannot heal over the 

 bone, it will decay back until the flesh can cover it. Any instrument 

 that will sear straight through should be satisfactory ; there is no neces- 

 sity to strike a joint. Burning the lambs is mostly the fault of the 

 holder. Dull heat is better than red heat. During summer searing 

 attracts flies more than the knife. 



Several methods of ca.strating lambs are practised. With very youngs 

 lambs there is little choice, as thev are not very far advanced. Some 

 methods are cleaner and neater than others and more suitable for small 

 lots of very young lambs when done every few days during lambing 

 time. The particular method mainly depends on the numbers to be 

 done, as it may be a matter of speed. With anv method there is little 

 or no danger, comparatively speaking, with lambs up to ten days old. In 

 the case of lambs beginning to thrive and put on flesh, the danger in- 

 creases with all methods. 



Cutting off the lower portion of the purse and drawing the testicles 

 is largely practised. The objection to this method is that, if wdndy weather 

 is experienced, the losses are sometimes heavy ; also, the open cut is; 

 considered bad in dirty yards or long wet grass. In every other way 

 it is the best. Slitting is favoured by most large owners. It is not 

 so objectionable in windv weather and there is not the same outward' 

 wound, but it is inclined to close and heal quicklv and collects blood, 

 especially when closed with the hand as many advocate. If cold weather 

 sets in tetanus at times develops in this class of castration and many deaths 

 have been known with this method. 



Side cutting and taking the testicle out is only practised on very 

 young or store lambs. If lambs are sappy and a fair age, blood collects 

 in this method also, especially with tail searing. If tetanus develops 

 thiough bad weather, or; the spores of tetanus are prevalent on the pas- 

 ture there will be losses bv this method also, esiDeciallv if the lambs are 

 a good age. 



A method often practised on old lambs is to remove the testicle 

 from its casing, leaving the casing in (similar to ca.strating a calf). 

 This causes no more risk, and in the case of a lamb six weeks o[d is not 

 so severe as drawing. A later and better method still for export lambs, 

 when once the mistake has been made of letting them get too old, is to 

 slit the pur.se and cut into the testicle and press out the inside flesh with 

 the finger and thumb, leaving exervthing el.se in, including the point of 

 the testicle. Bv this method the blood vein feeding the testicle is not 

 severed, and less bleeding and no bruising of the inward parts of the 

 lamb are caused. Young lambs cannot be treated this wav, and there 

 is no advantage if they could. Of course, tetanus may develop with 

 this latter method, on this class of lamb, but it is the least likelv to 



