180 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



DEC, 6, IS 43. 



RINGING YOUNG HULLS. 

 The yoiin^ 1-year-oUl bulls should be furnished 

 with a ring in their nose. This instrument is use- 

 ful not only in leading the animal, but, being con- 

 stantly in use, in keeping his temper in subjection. 

 1 have no doubt whatever that such a ring affords 

 the most complete command over the most furious 

 bull. In case of a bull becoming more irritative 

 and troublesome as he advances in years, which 

 many bulls are inclined to be, the ring furnishes 

 the means of curbing him at once, when it would 

 otherwise be impoesihlj to get hold of his nose. 

 It affords also an easy means of siispendinu a light 

 chain from the nose to the ground, upon which the 

 fore feet are ready to catcii in walking, when the 

 nose receives so sudden a check, that whenever 

 the bull attempt to run at any one in the field, he 

 pains himself Even a young bull in a field, may 

 follow you at first in sporl, and run at you after- 

 wards in earnest. I rwrncniber of being encoun- 

 tered by a 2year-old bull in the midst of a field. 

 Instead of recognizing me, which he used to do, 

 he advanced towards me, bellowing, scraping the 

 ground first with one fore-foot, and then another, 

 and casting the earth over his back. Feeling it to 

 be vain to reach a fence or gate before he could 

 overtake me, and knowing it to be dangerous to in- 

 dicate any motion like retreat, I determined on 

 standing still, and on doing one or both of two 

 tilings, should he approach near enough — namely, 

 to hit him on the forehead with a large stone, and 

 should that fail to scare him, to seize iiim by the 

 tail. With this intent, I picked up a large stone 

 in each hand, and watching the moment when he 

 came near enough, about .5 yards, when his head 

 was at the ground, and while ho was bellowino- 

 and preparing to make a rush at me, (which, sin- 

 gular enough, bulls always do at people with their 

 eyes closed,) I deliberately ajmed and struck hun a 

 blow with all my might between the horns with a 

 atone, the shock of which so terrified him, that he 

 turned round, shook his head, and ran away from 

 nie at fast trot. Had this manoeuvre not succeed- 

 ed in scaring him with the secoml stone, there was 

 no alternative for me but that of laying hold of his 

 tail ; and there is no great difficulty in effecting 

 this with a bull, by boldly going up, and slipping 

 instantly behind him, seize the tail. When the tail 

 is held firmly, the bull has no power to kick, or 

 throw you off; and your policy is to kick his shins 

 if you have no stick, but if you have a stout one, 

 belabor his slianki until he lies down exhausted, 

 which he will soon do under such a punishment, 

 and then you may effect your escape. A number 

 of sharp strokes on the bony or bare part of his 

 legs, will deprive him of courage much more quick- 

 ly than severer punishment upon the fleshy part of 

 his rump and flanks. Not content with defealinc 

 liim in the manner described, I had him immedi- 

 ately brought home, and putting a strong rein-rope 

 in the ring of his nose, led him out to the highway, 

 and gave him such a punishment, by pullini' at, 

 and checking his speed by, the nose, wJule trying 

 to runaway from me, that he became subdued at 

 the sight of a man ever after. To keep him con- 

 stantly in check, however, a chain of such a lenoth 

 as to trail on the ground, was suspended from the 

 ring. This was the first and only instance of bad 

 temper he ever showed. 



The ring is put into the bull's nose in this way : 

 Let a ring of iron bo provided, of perhaps 'i 1-2 

 inches in diameter over all, and 1-4 inch diameter 



in the rod, when finished. It should have a joint 

 in it, to let the ring open wide enough to pass one 

 end through the nose, rnd the two sides of the 

 ring, on being closed again after the operation, are 

 kept together with two countersunk screws. An 

 iron rod tapering to the point, and stouter than the 

 rod of the ring, should be provided. Let a cart- 

 rope have a noose cast firm at its middle, and put 

 the noose over the bull's head, and slip it down his 

 neck, with the knot undermost, till it rests upon 

 the breast. Any mortared wall sufficiently low to 

 allow the bull's head to reach over it, will answer 

 to put him against ; or what is safer for his knees, 

 any gate-way with a stout bar of wood [daced 

 across it as high as his breast. Place Ihe bull's 

 breast against the wall or bar, and pass the rope 

 from the lowest part of the neck along each side 

 round the buttocks, like a breeching, and bring one 

 end of the rope over the wall or bar on each side 

 of the biiil's head, where a stout man holds on at 

 each end, and it is the duty of bolh these men to 

 prevent the bull from retreating backwards from 

 the wall or bar. A man also stands on each side 

 of the bull's buttock to prevent hiiu shifting his po- 

 sition. The operator having the iron rod given 

 him heated in the fire, just red enough to see the 

 heated part in daylight, he takes the bull by the 

 nose with his left hand, and feeling inwards with 

 his fingers, past all the soft part of the nostrils, un- 

 til he reaches the cartilnge or septum of tlie nose, 

 he keeps open the nostrils, so as on passing the 

 hot iron through the septum, it may pass olear 

 through without touching the outer skin of the 

 nostrils, taking care to pass the iron parallel to the 

 front skin of the nose, otherwise the hole will be 

 oblique. Immediately after the rod has been pass- 

 ed through far enough to make the hole sufficient- 

 ly large to give free play to the ring, and the 

 wound has been sufficiently seared, the operator 

 takes the ring, opened, and still keeping hold of 

 the bull's nose with the left hand, passes it through 

 the hole, and on bringing the two ends together, 

 puts in the screws, and secures them firmly with a 

 screw. driver. On being satisfied that the ring turns 

 easily round in the hole, and hangs or projects even- 

 ly, the bull is then released. The ring should not 

 be used until the wound of the nose is completely 

 healed, though it is not uncommon to see the poor 

 animal tormented, in being led about by the ring 

 immediately after the operation, when every part of 

 the nose is still tender and sensitive 



So alarmed do some bulls become from the ope- 

 ration, that they hang back irom the leading rope 

 of the ring with such force as to pull the ring 

 through the nose : rather than such a result should 

 occur, the rope should be slackened, and the ani- 

 mal relieved from pain as often and until ha learns 

 to yields to the rope. On first trying to lead a 

 bull by the ring, the drover should not endeavor to 

 pull the animal along after liimself, but allow him 

 to step on while he walks by his side, or even be- 

 hind him, with the rope in his hand. While so 

 following, to relieve the animal as much as practi- 

 cable of the weight of the rope upon the nose, the 

 drover should throw the middle of the rope upon 

 the bull's back, and retain a hold of its end. Should 

 he offer to step backwards, a tap on the shank with 

 a stick will prevent him ; and should he attempt to 

 run forward, a monientary check of the rope will 

 slacken his pace. On no account should the dro- 

 ver attempt to struggle with the bull on the first 

 occasion : on the contrary, he should soothe ond 

 pacify him, and endeavor to inspire him with con- 



fidence in himself and the rope, and to show hin 

 that he will receive no hurt if he will but wall 

 quietly along. The animal will soon learn the tui 

 tion he is undergoing, if he is properly dealt with 

 but if tormented merely that the drover may sho\ 

 his power over a powerful animal, it may be a lon|i 

 time, if ever, before he will learn to behave quietl! 

 when led. — Stephens' Book of the Farm. 



From tlie Cincinnati Atlas. 

 HORTICULTURAL TOUR TO BOSTON. 



NO. II 



Messrs. Editors — By my former communicatiot 

 I became pledged to continue the subject, if yo 

 deemed it of sufiicont importance to your Ilsrticul 

 tural readers to publish the same. To redeem thi 

 pledge will be a sufficient apology for my acrai 

 troubling you. Without recurring to what ha 

 been said, I shall proceed with the narrative of m 

 observations. 



In my visit to Mr Kenrick's extensive fruit an 

 ornamental establishment, at Newton, I regrette 

 to find him absent from home. This deprived m 

 of an interview at his beautiful location. Mr K. 

 collection is very large, to which he is making cor 

 stant and extensive additions, by importations froi 

 Europe. There being no one at hand to explain, 

 took a hasty ramble over his extensive ground 

 and departed, in the hope that I should have foun 

 time to again visit him. 



In the vicinity of Mr Kenrick's, there are oth< 

 public nurseries. The Messrs. Winship's 

 among the oldest and largest. They are perha) 

 the most extensive, in the ornamtntal line, of an 

 establishment about Boston: their grounds ai 

 beautifully located, five miles from the city, on th - 

 Western Railroad, which runs directly throug 

 them, making them, by this easy and pleasant mod 

 of access, a place of great resort. Every thing 

 tastefully arranged and neatly kept. 



Mr James L. L. F. Warren, an intelligent an 

 enterprising nurseryman, not far from the Messr 

 Winship, although comparatively young in tf 

 business, bids fair not to be left far behind, if or 

 may judge from Ihe taste, industry, and good juds 

 ment displayed about his grounds in the arrangi 

 mcnt of its various departments. His collectic 

 of green-house plants is quite good, especially i 

 that of the Camellia, of which he has a large co 

 lection of fine looking plants. His fruit depar 

 ment is respectable, and he is making arangenicn 

 to do an extensive business in this line. He hn 

 produced a very superior Seedling Stra»vberry, a 

 so a fine Seedling Raspberry, and a Seedlin 

 Cherry, which bid fair to rank high in these clasi 

 es of fine fruits. 



In iny visit to the Messrs. Hyde, of Nenton, 

 was much interested. In these gentlemen I foun) 

 the true Ne>« England character exemplified — "1 

 place for everything, and everything in its rigli 

 place." Ill connection with their farming as 

 fruit operations, they are doing considerable in til 

 nursery line. One of them, with delight, points 

 out to me the various interesting objects of th 

 place ; among the rest, a great elm, under tt 

 shadow of whose boughs, his ancestry, for three i 

 four generations back, were wont to rest their wei 

 ry limbs from their toilsome but weary labor. 1 

 speaking of the fine appearance of their crops ari 

 trees, on land which had been so long in use, H 

 observed that ihey were obliged to manure highl 



