260 



Nature-Study Agriculture 



Telling the 

 age of a 

 cow 



Dehorning 

 cattle 



Preventing 

 the growth 

 of horns 



Disease in 

 cows 



heart and lungs are located, and by large, flaring nos- 

 trils, which are an excellent indication of lung capacity. 



The ability to tell the age of a cow is of importance, 

 for a young cow is worth much more than one ten or 

 twelve years of age, whose usefulness is about at an end. 

 During the first two years of a cow's life her horns grow 

 rapidly and are smooth. Then, after a period of rest, 

 a little more growth takes place, but at the point where 

 growth had ceased before a ring is formed on the horn. 

 Each year a ring is thus formed, and by adding two to 

 the number of rings, the approximate age is found. 

 In cattle that have no horns the age may be told by the 

 teeth. Farmers' Bulletin 1066 shows pictures of the 

 teeth of cattle at different ages. 



Cattle are less afraid of each other and eat more 

 quietly together if they have no horns. For this reason 

 their horns are often cut off, though this is a very pain- 

 ful operation. Keeping the horns of calves from grow- 

 ing is much easier than sawing them off later, and it 

 is far more humane. Before the calf is eight days old 

 each spot where a horn is to grow out should be 

 dampened and then rubbed with the end of a stick of 

 caustic soda or potash. Scabs will form and drop off 

 and no horns will grow. Care must be taken to keep 

 the hair dry so that the caustic soda will not spread 

 and injure the calf's head. A ring of grease around 

 each spot will help to keep the caustic from spreading. 



Tuberculosis is a disease that many cattle have, though 

 they may show no outward signs of sickness. Milk 

 from cows having tuberculosis is liable to cause disease 

 in persons that drink it. Therefore the law in some 



