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horns from the head of an ox favors the growth of the body is 

 laying down a proposition which is contrary to the teaching of 

 common sense. Had cattle the same extent of horny append- 

 age, proportionally with their size, as a black-faced ram, one 

 could understand that the effectual removal of it would be con- 

 ducive to bodily development. 



The fact that accidents constantly arise to the horns in transit 

 is urged also in support of dehorning, and it is undoubtedly a 

 much more legitimate excuse for the performance of the opera- 

 tion than are others that are frequently offered. Fractured 

 horns bear a very small proportion to the gross number of cat- 

 tle annually conveyed by rail or sea, and it is monstrous to urge 

 that because one in a thousand (a liberal percentage) has a horn 

 knocked off, the odd one thousand and nine hundred and ninety- 

 nine horns should be removed ; moreover, accidents of this na- 

 ture might be reduced to an insignificant minimum if more care 

 were exercised in the transfer of live cattle. 



The operation of dehorning is performed in a variety of ways, 

 and upon animals of different ages. In calves, an incision is in 

 some districts made through the skin covering the young horn 

 "button," and the immature " core" is removed by one dexter- 

 ous sweep of a curved knife, or by the aid of a pair of curved 

 scissors made sufficiently strong for the purpose. This opera- 

 tion certainly gives rise to pain, but neither the pain nor the 

 subsequent suffering are comparable with that produced by the 

 bodily or even partial removal of the horns of a grown animal. 

 Certainly, in some districts, the pain is aggravated by the use 

 of the actual cautery for the purpose of arresting the hemor- 

 rhage, but this is quite unnecessary, as the insertion of a small 

 continuous suture through the lips of the wound will effectually 

 serve the same purpose. In calves of a few months old, the tip 

 of the horn is removed with the saw in an oblique direction from 

 before backwards, the result of this being that as the horn grows 

 it curves in a backward direction, and is rendered harmless as a 

 weapon of offense. After the horn has attained tolerable pro- 

 portions, as in animals of one year old and upwards, it is re- 



