SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 305 



culture, the invidious discrimination which barred the entrance to 

 Europe of American stackers is likely to be removed, and our cattle 

 are liable in the near future to make lengthened journeys by land and 

 sea. The removal of their horns will then not only lessen the owner's 

 risk, but will also add materially to the comfort and safety of the animals 

 themselves. 



But there is fortunately within the reach of all an open avenue of 

 escape from that portion of the operation which supplies the only cogent 

 argument against the practice under discussion. 



The owner of the 2 or 3 day's old calf, if he wishes it to all intents 

 and purposes a " moolly," can dehorn it, or, more correctly speaking, 

 prevent horns ever being developed, by means of a chemical prepara- 

 tion which reduces the pain to a minimum, while it is even more effect- 

 ual than either the saw or forceps. There are several chemical dehorn- 

 ers advertised in the open market, most or all of them effective, but the 

 cheapest and simplest consists of a stick of caustic potash. 



The operation is performed as follows, and is uniformly successful, if 

 performed before the calf is 3 days old : The little animal is caught and 

 gently laid over on its side, in which position it is easily held by one 

 assistant while the operator clips the hair off the trifling prominence 

 on the frontal bone, which marks the spot on the uppermost side of the 

 head where the horn would be developed if not interfered with. He 

 then takes his stick of potash, dips it in cold water, and carefully rubs 

 it over the part just clipped for the space of, say, ten seconds. The calf 

 is now turned over, the corresponding portion of the frontal bone on that 

 side clipped and thoroughly rubbed with the moistened potash the same 

 way as the first. 



By this time the side first treated is dry and ready for a second appli- 

 cation of the caustic, which should conform exactly to the first. Fol- 

 low the same procedure on the rcmaining-side, where the matrix of the 

 embryo horn has been located, and if the caustic has been properly 

 applied no horns will ever make their appearance. 



For animals intended to be kept either for steers or dairy cows noth- 

 ing can be more effectual, but it were well to discriminate between these 

 and the head of the herd, the bull, and for this reason: We dehorn our 

 cows and steers chietly to protect them from each other, whereas our 

 main object in dehorning the bull is to protect ourselves. For this 

 reason our end in the case of the. latter is more effectually accomplished 

 if we leave him in possession of his horns until he has learned to rely 

 upon them as his weaj>ons of offense and defense, and then deprive 

 him ot his armament. If we employ in his case chemical dehorning at 

 the early age recommended for the steer ami row, necessity becomes a 

 second nature, and the animal intuitively adopts the catapult like tac- 

 tics of the ''moolly.' 1 These, although, comparatively speaking, less 

 harmful as between the animals them selves, are equally dangerous when 

 directed against their owner; for captious, indeed, would IM> the critic 

 who discriminated between being butted to death or hooked to death. 

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