390 THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



It has been argued that under some conditions, as 

 when cattle are kept in large herds, a small percentage 

 of the animals should be left undehorned to prevent them 

 from "bunching;" that is, from huddling together in 

 the pastures as a protection against flies. Bunching 

 thus in hot weather tends to make the heat excessive 

 and under some range conditions accelerates destroying 

 the grass by constant treading. The wisdom of thus 

 trying to prevent such a condition is problematical, as it 

 would in a considerable degree defeat the objects sought 

 in dehorning. 



Facts regarding spaying cattle. — The three principal 

 objects sought in spaying are, first, to prevent concep- 

 tion; second, to promote fattening, and, third, that males 

 and females may be more profitabl}^ fattened together. 

 Conception is, of course, not desired in females that are 

 to be grown only for meat. It is not desired, first, be- 

 cause of the adverse influence that it would have on the 

 production of meat, and, second, because of the lower- 

 ing influence which it has on the quality of the meat. 

 The first is the result of diverting the energies of the 

 system from building up the carcass to the maintenance 

 of the young animal in embryo. The second arises in 

 part from the same cause, but, in addition, the quality 

 of the meat is lowered in certain respects, especially in 

 the advanced stages of pregnancy. But these influences 

 are so little pronounced during the first two or three 

 months of pregnancy that some cattlemen countenance 

 rather than oppose such ])rcgnancy. The third object 

 seeks convenience as well as profit. 



Fattening is promoted by spaying, first, through 

 removing the draught on the energies of the svstem 

 used in the maintenance of the generative organs as to 

 condition, even in the absence of conception ; second, 

 by insuring more quiet to the animals through the non- 

 occurrence of the disturbance that accompanies the 

 periods of jieat. Such disturbance not onlv afifects the 



