398 
ON THE CASTRATION OF THE COW. 
The cow, by nature very irritable, suffered extremely at the time 
of the operation: no sooner, however, had she returned to her stable, 
than she commenced feeding, regained her spirits, in the evening 
ruminated, and in three days’ time gave us good milk as usual. 
Experiment XIII. — M. Bellencontre, animated with the same 
zeal as myself, gave me up a fourth cow, the finest in his cow- 
house. The operation was performed on the right side in prefer- 
ence to the left, as in the case of the preceding experiments. 
The right affords the double advantage of allowing the operator 
freedom of manipulation, and of preventing adhesion of the rumen 
to the side at the time of cicatrization. Nor is the rumen liable to 
be disturbed in this operation. The animal suffered but little, did 
not appear sensibly affected, and went on extremely well for several 
days. 
All the cows last operated on have given, up to the present time, 
a full quantity of milk, of superior quality ; and, notwithstanding 
the low condition they were in from the mediocre quality of their 
food this year, they carried flesh, and afforded in the end the same 
results as those hitherto arrived at. 
Experiment XIY. — Since I was called by M. Cabaret, farmer, 
at Berry-au-Bac, to castrate for him a cow said to be bulling, who 
gave but little milk, and lost her condition from day to day, not- 
withstanding she had abundance of food. 
Always bulling, she was continually tormenting the other cows, 
mounting first upon one, then upon the other, and even proved dan- 
gerous to persons about her. 
The operation turned out one of the most fortunate, notwith- 
standing she had filled herself without our knowledge, and that the 
consequence was indigestion immediately consecutive on the 
operation. 
At this time her milk increased, and she had become perfectly 
tranquil, even docile, and has begun already to make flesh. 
An analogous result, following on this, is reported by Professor 
Magne in his Treatise of Veterinary Hygiene. 
The dam of M. Cabaret’s cow had formerly experienced similar 
furores uterince , which had brought her to a state bordering on 
marasmus, and she was, in the end, obliged to be sold to a low- 
prized butcher. 
Such is a succinct resume of my experiments of castrating cows 
and of the good effects that have followed them. These experi- 
ments, too few in number, doubtless leave much to be desired. 
This, however, is all we have been enabled to do. Unassisted, 
nay, opposed by every body, even by those who, placed as they 
were in a favourable position, ought to have aided us, we have 
been able, by great exertions, to obtain a few bad subjects, the 
