AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
305 
AYRSHIRE BULL 
are thankful. Our aim is to gather up from the 
entire country, just such information in all de¬ 
partments of rural labor.—E d.] 
--- 
Docking;’ Cattle. 
Docking horses is bad enough, but docking cat¬ 
tle is worse. The appearance of a horse is some¬ 
times improved, ■perhaps, by “setting up ” his tail 
and shortening it : the operation also prevents him 
from getting his tail over the driver’s lines. But 
these arguments have no pertinence in the case 
of neat cattle. We believe, moreover, that the 
practice is injurious to the health and comfort of 
these animals. 
The advocates of docking maintain that cattle 
need blood-letting every Spring. They say that 
the end of the tail becomes soft, and in connection 
with this, the joints of the legs swell and become 
weak and tremulous, and that the only remedy is 
a cutting off of the tail. Why do not these doc¬ 
tors inquire whether this Spring sickness is not, 
more likely, owing to the season, to the change 
from the dry fodder of the barn to the succulent 
food of the pasture, and the change from the 
warm stable and barn-yard to the chilly ground of 
the open pasture 1 Cut off a cow’s tail, to cure 
the Spring sickness ! Why not as well cut off a 
man’s leg to cure his chilblains! The practice is 
nonsensical and barbarous. It is cruel, not only 
because it is painful, and occasions a loss of blood, 
but because it robs the animal of his chief weapon 
of defense against annoying insects in Summer. 
We half suspect that one reason why “ hired men” 
are so fond of doctoring cows in this way, is that 
this treatment saves them from many a brush of 
the tail during milking-time. 
A writer in one of our foreign exchanges speaks 
of this docking-mania as prevalent in England, 
and as mixed up with more superstition than here. 
He says that many farmers believe that the 
Spring sickness of cattle begins in the tail, and 
passes along that to the cow’s back, and “ that it 
is on account of something wrong in the tail that 
she loses the use of her legs ; and then some set 
to work and cut the cow’s tail off.- while others 
less cruel or more scientific, make an incision into 
the under surface, and allow the wound to bleed 
freely, and then fill it up with a mixture of tar and 
salt, and I know not what.” He then goes on to 
say that.in some districts, farmers think there is 
witchcraft in the business, and practice “ charms,” 
as well as docking. They bind a twig of the 
rowan tree on the end of the cow’s tail, and com¬ 
pel a black cat to pass three times around the 
cow, and over her back and under her belly, 
which so enrages pussy that she mews and 
scratches with great fury until she breaks away 
from the necromancers and runs off with flying 
tail, convincing all beholders that surely the devil 
has got into the cat! 
The writer next proceeds to give a careful 
analysis of the different parts of the tail of cattle, 
and shows that what is considered by some a dis¬ 
eased condition of this member, is only a wise 
provision of nature to prepare the tail for brush¬ 
ing off flies during the Summer. The tail is a 
scientific whip. “The column of bones within 
it forms the shaft or handle of the whip—the soft 
part, the connection between the handle and the 
thong, while the thickened extremity may be easi¬ 
ly recognised to represent the thong, and the 
hairs to form the lash or point; so that we have 
a whip to drive away the flies, and so complete a 
one that the coachman may borrow a lesson from 
its construction.” 
From considerations Itke these, it is plain that 
the practice of docking cattle is a cruel one, and 
not worthy of adoption by sensible men. The 
tail may, indeed, become diseased, in connection 
with other parts of the body, but it is not the origin 
of the disease; and amputation of it is not a ra¬ 
tional treatment of the difficulty. There are rem¬ 
edies, simpler and better. 
--» --- * - - 
Weaning Calves. 
This, and the next month are the usual sea¬ 
sons for weaning calves from their dams when 
they have been so far reared at the teat, or for 
cutting them altogether off from their milk diet— 
say at the age of four months. We presume 
they have had plenty of grass and water mean¬ 
time, both of which they partake freely. But 
they sadly miss their accustomed milk diet when 
deprived of it, and to insure their continued 
growth, a substitute must be given in the shape of 
corn, oat, or oil meal. The three mixed in about 
equal quantities are best given at the rate of a 
pint of the mixture each morning and evening— 
a quart a day. It may be laid dry, in a capacious 
trough, and with a slight sprinkling of salt on 
it, they will soon eat and love it. The pasture 
should still be fresh and sweet, and after a month 
of the meal diet it may be gradually discon¬ 
tinued. 
Calves, about weaning time, are apt to get lousy, 
.if not in high condition. Look to this, and if any 
be found, apply the remedies we published page 
279 of last volume, which will prove effectual. 
That is: rub on the lousy places, a little soft 
grease mixed with a sprinkling of common 
Scotch snuff, which will cause the lice to leave 
at once. If you have not the snuff, the grease 
alone will do. The lice take up their abode on 
poor animals where there is not an abundance oi 
natural oil exuded. 
As the season progresses, feed them green 
corn-stalks, finely cut up if necessary. Pumpkins 
when ripe, are capital food for calves ; green tur¬ 
nips, beet, and carrot tops, or any other green 
food they will eat. And so they should progress 
ti 1 ready to go into Winter quarters. A good 
three-year-old calf which has grown right along 
from the time of its birth without check or hin¬ 
drance, will be worth two poor, stunted things. 
One comes out a fine cow, bull or bullock, while the 
others are pinched, deformed by poverty, and un¬ 
satisfactory altogether. 
We have raised hundreds of calves, and in all 
sorts of ways. A third U sspvre milk drawn from 
the teat by the calf, is quite as good as the full 
quantity milked by hand, and then fed the calf. 
W e know this by trial. Sucking is the natural \yay 
feeding is not. But in feeding, skimmed milk 
and other food may be added, answering good 
purposes, and rearing the calf at less expense. 
Weaning Lambs. 
At four months old, lambs ought to be thrifty, 
vigorous, and in good condition, if their dams 
have had good pasturage since yeaning; and 
about this time, or soon after, according to the 
time they were dropped, they should be weaned. 
To effect this in the best way, shut up the flock 
—ewes and lambs—in a close yard or stable ; 
catch the lambs carefully, and separate them from 
the ewes. Then, after the ewes are driven away, 
put the lambs into a well fenced field, with plenty 
of fresh grass (a rowen lot is best) out of sight 
and hearing of their dams ; for if they can get 
near them there will be continually bleating on 
both sides, and days will intervene before either 
lamb or ewe will get quiet and go to feeding. 
Besides their discontent, they will lose flesh, 
which it will be hard to recover. 
If the lambs be still intended for the butcher, 
they should have meal or other fattening food, 
till taken away altogether. If to be reared, grass 
is sufficient for them—only have enough of it, 
with plenty of water, and an occasional lick of 
salt. After a fortnight, or three weeks if neces¬ 
sary, they may be turned with the ewes, but it 
is better that they be not mixed at all until the 
next Spring, as they require more nutritious food, 
and closer attention. 
Lambs, if not attended to at shearing time, are 
apt to get ticky. If so when weaned they should 
be immersed up to the eyes in a strong decoction 
of tobacco water. Tobacco stems, steeped, are 
as good as the leaf itself. Have the decoction in 
a tub, and each lamb put in by itself, and the li 
quid well squeezed into and out of the wool, as 
taken out. This will kill every insect in it effectu¬ 
ally. Such is our method. 
A young gentleman who has just married a lit¬ 
tle beauty, says “ she would have been taller, but 
she is made of such precious materials that Na¬ 
ture couldn’t afford it.” 
Too many persons are far less ashamed of hav¬ 
ing done wrong than of being found out. Are you 
one of them! 
