320 The 'Book of the Coat. 



a chaise, and it still lives. No great difference can be 

 detected between the two horns, except that one is some- 

 what shorter and of a rather different shape. I have since 

 understood that the application of Stockholm tar, although, 

 of course, a painful process, does not cause the same 

 amount of suffering, and is the best remedy to apply. A 

 strand of jute or tow is saturated with this tar, and is 

 bound round the core. 



As to intentional dishorning, it is a practice to be 

 strongly condemned as cruel. I have seen it done in one 

 case, and the pain caused to the goat was such that I 

 should never allow the operation to be performed on a 

 goat of "my own. 



f relenting ihe Grotolh of Horns. 



This is quite a different matter from dishorning, and 

 can be carried out with very little trouble, whilst causing 

 but slight pain, if any., to the kid, for it must be per- 

 formed when the animal is quite young. As will be seen, 

 the directions here given were intended to be applied to 

 calves, but they are equally applicable to kids. At the 

 same time it must be stated that the effect is not so certain 

 in the caprine as in the bovine species. These directions 

 are extracted from a leaflet published by the Board of 

 Agriculture : 



A SUBSTITUTE FOR DISHORNING. " Clip the hair from 

 the top of the horn when the calf [or kid] is from two 

 to five days old. Slightly moisten the end of a stick of 

 caustic potash with water or saliva (or moisten the 

 top of the horn-bud), and rub the tip of each horn firmly 

 with the potash for about a quarter of a minute, or until 

 a slight impression has been made on the centre of the 

 horn. The horns should be treated in this way from two 

 to four times, at intervals of five minutes. If, during the 

 Interval of five minutes after one or more applications, a 



