732 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



stained with blood. By using a broad mallet this may be in great measure a-voided, and 

 even if these results do follow, they do not in reality alter the quality of the brain for edible 

 purposes. Objections to the humane destruction of an animal on such grounds are as 

 unreasonable as those which are made to juicy and wholesome red veal by people who prefer 

 that which has been rendered white, dry, and innutritious by repeated bleedings, which have 

 reduced the calf, before death, to a lingering condition of faintness and debility. 



The calf should first be stunned by a blow upon the head by a broad mallet or hammer, 

 aimed at a spot relatively the same as in the full-grown animal. This is to be followed by 

 immediate bleeding, by severing the throat at a point corresponding to the upper portion of 

 the windpipe, using a sharp knife and doing the work thoroughly and at once, so as to open 

 all the arteries and veins of the neck. 



Slaughter of Sheep and Lambs. Sheep and lambs should be rendered insensible 

 by a blow upon the head, to be followed subsequently by severing the throat, as just advised 

 in the case of calves, or by plunging a sharp-pointed knife through the blood-vessels at either 

 side of the neck between the bones and the windpipe. The place to be selected for a blow 

 is the center of a line drawn across the head about two inches above the eyes, the brain in the 

 sheep occupying a situation posterior to what at first sight would appear to be the natural one. 



Best Method Of Slaughtering Swine. There is an idea prevalent among farmers, 

 and even among many of those who practice the slaughtering of swine as an avocation, that, 

 if these animals are first rendered insensible by blows upon the head, it is impossible to 

 empty the blood-vessels. 



There is no foundation, however, for any such opinion. Any obstacles to bleeding are 

 due, not to material differences in the anatomical arrangement of the blood-vessels, but solely 

 to the difficulties attending the cutting through of the great mass of fat and flesh which char 

 acterizes the necks of swine in order to reach these vessels. This very difficulty is a reason 

 why the animal should be rendered insensible before bleeding, not only on the score of 

 humanity, but also on the score of avoiding the barbarous sights and sounds which so fre 

 quently disgrace our towns and villages. 



In Europe generally, the swine are always first rendered insensible by being stiinned. 

 They should be made insensible by a blow upon the head, directed, not between the eyes, but 

 upon a spot in the middle of a line drawn across the head three or four inches above the 

 eyes. A long, sharp knife should then be thrust deeply through the lower portion of the 

 brisket, at a point just above the breast-bone, severing the large vessels leading from the 

 heart. The point of the knife, after it has been thrust in, should be swept about and made 

 to cut more extensively in the deep parts than at the surface. This insures the thorough 

 division of the blood-vessels, and the most rapid and effectual bleeding of the animal. 



Killing Dogs, Cats, etc. Small dogs, cats, and other diminutive animals, particu 

 larly if sick or in any way disabled, are humanely destroyed by means of chloroform. This 

 substance should be administered by pouring from two to four tablespoonfuls of it on to a 

 sponge or folded flannel, placed within a thick cloth or towel, and applied over the mouth 

 .and nostrils. If the struggling is severe at first, the administration of the chloroform may 

 be made more gradual by removing the sponge or flannel for a moment altogether, and then 

 reapplying it; and, as the animal becomes quiet, it should be kept on closely and constantly, 

 to the entire exclusion of the outward air, adding fresh chloroform from time to time until 

 death occurs. The length of the operation will depend upon the size and condition of the 

 ; animal, and the persistence with which the administration has been kept up. 



As a protection against the struggles of the animal to free itself, the body may be placed 

 in a sack or bag, allowing the head to protrude. Or a blanket may be thrown over the body, 

 by which it may be grasped, while the head is left free for the application of the sponge. 

 Or the animal, together with the saturated sponge, may be placed in a small box and allowed 

 to go quietly to rest. 



