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cattle and it didn't do as much good as I thought it would. I am in favor of dehorning. My 

 brother had his herd dehorned and I was favorably impressed by the results. 



William H. York, farmer, Dorchester, sworn said : I am engaged in mixed farming, and 

 keep about thirty head or so of cattle. 



Q. You were prosecuted for dehorning ? A. Yes, it was me that made all the trouble. 



Q. What led you to take the horns off? A. I had a boy hooked by a bull, and we decided 

 to take its horns off. It was in cold weather. He did well, but there was considerable dis- 

 charge — more than there would be if I had taken more care of him. I have dehorn 3d bulls for 

 the past five years or so. Then I noticed that Kinney's cattle did well without the horns, and 

 my brother Edward went into it, and said that I would not be sorry if I went into it. When 

 Mr. Nigh was hauled up I asked the lawyer to come down and see the cattle, but he wouldn't 

 do it. The Crown Attorney also refused. Tamlin came down and said he was sent by the 

 Humane Society. I told him I thought it was a humane act to take off the horns. The second 

 time he came he brought Allan, the constable, with him. The cattle had been drinking and 

 perhaps after the cold water they were shaking themselves a little. There was one animal that 

 had knocked the scab off and was discharging. He tried to make out that the critter was 

 tender and flinched. Then they asked me about the one I lost, and I told them she bled quite 

 a bit. About three weeks after dehorning I noticed that this cow was bleeding at the horn. I 

 was in a hurry, and after bandaging it up I left her. When I came back she was past doing 

 anything for. It was about thirty-six hours before she died that I left her. I supposed that 

 she had hurt her horn, and I think she may have had something else the matter with her as my 

 man told me that the carcass smelled considerable after the hide was taken off. 



Q. Are you pleased with the result as far as you are concerned ? A. Yes. I am quite 

 satisfied my cattle won't suffer in any comparison with horned cattle. It makes them quieter, 

 but my cattle are not fools as some of the witnesses try to make out. They take a rap at each 

 other occasionally, but find they can't hurt, and let it alone. We admit there is some suffer- 

 ing, but nothing in comparison with the injury and suffering the horns will do in a year. I would 

 rather pay an annual tax of $50 than have the horns on. I'd be willing to have some regula- 

 tions adopted, but I don't want to have to get a vet. to do this job. My boy saw it done and 

 then went and did it for a neighbor, and I think he did it all right. 



Q. If the operation were done in a loose and careless way with a poor saw, would you agree 

 that the party ought to be punished ? A. Yes. It slould be done carefully, and with as little 

 pain as possible. I cut off the tips of the horn once and that didn't answer. Then I cut off 

 a little more, to the quick, and I thought that was splendid, but it was only good for a short 

 time, until it healed up, and then the critter was able to punch and bruise. I'd rather have 

 the cattle learn to use their horns before they are taken off. I tried the experiment of cutting 

 out the horn in the calf and I made a bad mess of it — one horn was turned up and the other 

 turned down. Then I tried another time searing with a hot iron, but the pain of that is worse, 

 I think, than dehorning. 



Stephen York, farmer, South Dorchester, sworn said : I have been engaged in farming 

 for many years and keep forty-four head of cattle, for dairying chiefly. I had all my cattle de- 

 horned on November 6th last, and am satisfied with the results. The stock has done better 

 than ever before. I never had them come through the winter so nicely. There is not a scratch 

 on them, and they act like a lot of sheep. I had two or three that were vicious before and they 

 are all right now. It is wrong, I think, to dehorn a part of the herd. If it is going to be done 

 at all the horns ought to be taken off the whole herd so as to make them equal. If only a few are 

 dehorned they will become underlings and the others will take advantage of them. I think it 

 was about a week after the operation that Tamlin came down to see the cows. Out of the lot 

 there were only three that were discharging what might be called pus. It smelled a little as if 

 it was from an old sore. In four weeks they were all right. 



Q. Your brother says he would rather pay a charge of $50 a year than be prevented from 

 taking the horn- off. What would you say about that ? A I would do the same thing. I am 

 quite satisfied that the benefit is worth that. I have made an estimate or calculation in my own 

 mind that I have lost about $10 per year in bloody milk, for the last twenty years. I could no: 

 say, of course, that in every instance this was caused by horns, but the majority of it was. Then 

 some of the vets, say they are not called in to attend cases of injuries from horns. We don't 

 call in anybody. We fix them up ourselves or pass them over. We couldn't be sending for a 

 vet. every time. I was opposed to dehorning until I saw how nicely my brother Edward's herd 

 was getting along. When I saw the operation I whs surprised that the cattle didn't make more 

 fuss than they did. I would prefer the fall, just past fly time, for the operation. I don't think 

 it requires a professional man to do this work. Self-interest will prevent a farmer from injur- 

 ing his stock. 



