The Common Farm Operations. 209 



lie under the tail and whose action is to draw that mem- 

 ber down, might be preferable; the surgeon should be 

 the one to decide and operate in horses; in many States 

 the operation, unless a surgical need, is illegal, and 

 rightly so. The stockman will have to dock his sheep, 

 which is done when they are lambs, either with a sharp 

 knife, or the red hot docking shears. To do the job 

 well one man holds the lamb as already described; that 

 is holding a hind and fore foot in each hand, its head 

 and back being pressed firmly against the holder's body, 

 keeping the lamb in a position so that its buttock in- 

 clines out toward the operator, who will, if operating 

 with the knife, feel for the joint, which found will be 

 cut through with one clean cut, the lamb being at once 

 released; the tail should be left quite short, in fact about 

 level with the outer end of the skin that comes out from 

 near the tail-head to join that organ; if with the forceps 

 (Wing's) they are heated to a dull red heat, an assistant 

 holds the tail out straight and the forceps are applied 

 and slowly pinch of the tail; effort should be made to 

 let the forceps lean over a little so as to sear the artery, 

 which is on the center line of the under surface (in the 

 position in which the lamb is held, of course being the 

 upper side) of the tail. The lambs operated upon with 

 the knife should be carefully watched at intervals to avoid 

 their death from bleeding, if bleeding is excessive the 

 artery should be caught with a small pair of forceps and 

 given a few turns, or a hot iron be applied. Docking is 

 best done when the lambs are three weeks or a month 

 old; the operation of castration following a week or ten 

 days later. 

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