48 THE DATRYMAi^'S MAN'UAL. 



part of the skull, a prolongation of the frontal process, 

 protected by the smooth covering known as the horn. In 

 a young animal, a calf of a month, the horn is unformed, 

 and becomes develoiDed slowly, beginning to grow out- 

 wardly at the age of six to eight weeks. At this time 

 it first appears upon the surface as a horny plate, which 

 is not attached to the skull, but is a growth from the 

 skin, with which it is identical in composition. If this 

 horny plate be cut loose from the skin and removed, and 

 the wound be touched for an instant with the point of a 

 hot iron, the embr3'o horn is at once destroyed and no 

 further growth takes place. If, then, it is desirable to 

 have hornless cattle, there is no necessity to select any 

 inferior animals simply because they are devoid of horns, 

 but to rear the best calves and dishorn them when it can 

 be done easily and painlessly; the operation being very 

 simple, and free from all but a momentary pain which is 

 by no means intense. The operation of emasculation, 

 which is considered necessary, but no more so than that 

 of dishorning, is greatly more painful and the pain is 

 much longer continued. 



These dishorned animals, bred together, soon produce 

 hornless i^rogeny, which in the course of time inherit 

 the polled heads. If the horn must go, in the march of 

 improvement and in the interests of humanity, by all 

 means let it be effected in this easy and humane manner. 

 No doubt the valuable product of any herd of dairy cows 

 would be increased at least ten joer cent annually, and the 

 cattle could be managed with much less trouble and 

 annoyance, if the animals were devoid of the cruel horns. 



The list of the recognized pure bred dairy breeds is by 

 general consent of leading dairymen confined to four 

 only, viz., Holstein-Friesians, Ayrshires, Jerseys, and 

 G.uernseys. While these are certainly the most noted and 

 valuable cattle for the dairy, it is equally true that if the 

 dairy business of the world were confined to these four 



