90 



Q. Saving dehorned jour own cattle and assisted in the dehorning of others; do you say- 

 that the good results are sufficient to warrant the operation '. A.I do — there is no doubt 

 about it 



< v >. What class of men have engaged in the practice ? A. The best class of men — magistrates, 

 church-going people, and leading farmers generally. 



Q. And are they all satisfied with the results ? A. Yes, they are all satisfied that the 

 horns must go. 



Dr. Smith. — Have you noticed if old or young rows sutler most pain in the operation! 1 

 A. The young cattle sutler most, 1 think, for this reason : The horns of young cattle will grow 

 a little, and in order to make a good job of it we remove a little of the tissue and hair. 



.Mr. GlBSON.— Have you known any of your neighbors who have lost animals, or who have 

 had animals that suffered much through dehorning/ A. No, T never knew of a neighbor or 

 farmer who performed the operation and was sorry for it afterwards. If there should be legis- 

 lation on this question, I want to say that 1 consider it is a simple operation. Any man who 

 owns a herd of cows and takes care of them is competent to say how it shonld be done, and will 

 not have them injured unnecessarily. 1 think the matter quite safe in our hands. 



Mr. Drury\ — Supposing there should be legislation, would there be any objection to saying 

 that the operation should be performed by a skilful operator, with proper tools and under proper 

 conditions '. A. I would be satisfied with that, only for one thing — suppose I were to buy a cow 

 to-day or to-morrow, it would be a very inconvenient thing for me to run around looking for a 

 man to perform the operation ; we, as men who have been prosecuted, are sensitive about this. 

 If there are regulations, any man might bring an action against me. 



Q. Take a man for instance, who might get a good saw by going half a mile, but who rather 

 than go that far would use an old bucksaw to perform the operation ? A We would not do that. 

 There is danger of making this thing so tight that some fellow may bring an action any time, and 

 let you in for all sorts of costs. 



Q. You are not w Ring that it should be set forth that the operation must be skilfully per- 

 formed and with proper appliances >. A. I would be willing to go in for that, if it were not for 

 those men — snides, I call them — who are always giving trouble. 



Mr. Gibson. — You admit that the operation requires proper appliances and proper tying I 

 A. The operation is so simple that anyone may undertake it. There may be a mucous or pus 

 discharge, but take the operation ol castration in horses, that doesn't always go right, but you 

 could not blame the man who performed the operation ; things will go wrong sometimes. 



Mr. Glexdinnink. — Do you take the horns off bulls? A. Yes, I never keep a bull now 

 with horns, and I find it has a quieting effect on them. 



Henry Jackson, fanner, Gladstone, North Dorchester, sworn: 



Mr. Drury. — You are engaged principally in dairying, Mr. Jackson? A. Yes, I have 

 thirty-five cows, and have all along been engaged in dairying. Have also bought and shipped 

 considerable cattle. 



Q. You l ave heard Mr. York's evidence — do you agree with him '. A. Yes. 



Q. Are your opinions as pronounced ? A. Yes. 



Q. You agree that the operation is attended with comparatively little suffering to the 

 animal 1 A. Yes, it is not so bad as I thought it would have been. Immediately after it is hard 

 to see any signs of pain. I have not dehorned my own cattle. I hesitated because of the trial 

 and thought it would be better to wait. Had arranged to dehorn my herd when Mr. York was 

 summoned. I believe that the operation is a humane one, in that it prevents pain to the animals 

 as a whole. 



<,). What is your experience as a shipper '. A. Well, I handle about 200 head in a year ; 

 when gathered at the station yard they hook and gore themselves ; seveal times we had to 

 drive them apart I have seen them gore terribly bad at Buffalo, and the loss in this way is 

 serious. A buyer woull make a reduction —perhaps five dollars a head — if he notices that the 

 animals are briu 



Q. If all the horns wen- off and you were going round buying, would there be much danger 

 of being deceived as to age ? A. I think not. I would go by the look of he animal and the 

 teeth. 



Q. Then you see no reason whv the practice should not be allowed '. A. No; of course I 

 agree that it should be properly done. It would be brutish to take the horns off with a dull saw. 

 I think all the men in this neighborhood would do it well and properly, and I would not favor 

 having the matter Hunted too ranch. 



Mr. GlBSON. We are not speaking now of a veterinary surgeon, but of a practical man 

 who knows something about it 1 A. Well, it would be a good thine-, i, L ,t it depends on what 

 you mean by a practical man. 



Mr. Dbuby. — Do you consider that dehorned animals are worth more than those with 



