1866.j 
AMERICAN AGhRICULTURIST. 
13 
Fig. 1.—METHOD OF HOLDING AN ANIMAL. 
Wooden Horn Knobs—How Put on. 
2 . —KNOB. 
The ends of the horns of some cows, and oxen 
are So pointed, that unless mounted with knobs, 
serious wounds are .easily inflicted. We have 
seen the flesh of neat cattle laid open several 
inches in length by pugnacious bullocks, and 
horses and colts with dangerous and even fatal 
wounds given by the horn of some hooking 
beast. The small brass knobs which are screwed 
on the horns, are worth but little,, as they are 
too small. In order elfectually to prevent in¬ 
jury, the balls should.be as 
large as a man’s fist. More¬ 
over, when vicious cattle 
have such large knobs on 
their horns, thej'^ will soon 
get completely over their 
propensity to hook, and 
'large and small will herd 
peaceably in a small yard, 
where it would be danger¬ 
ous to keep them, were there no knobs on their 
horns. We once owned a hooking cow with long, 
sharp-pointed horns, that was a terror to every 
other animal in the yard, until large knobs were 
put On her horns, when she shortly became peace¬ 
able and harmless as a lamb, permitting small 
cattle, that once trembled with feag when a rod 
distant, to feed close by her side. We have been 
long accustomed to use large wooden knobs, for 
the horns of every animal more than one year 
old, if the horns had attained suflicient growth 
to admit of boring a gimblet hole near the 
small- end, without entering the quick. In the 
horns of some cattle the quick extends to within 
half an inch of the tips, until they are, perhaps, 
two years of age, and the horns of some cows 
and oxen may be bored, 
without touching the quick, . 
three inches or more below 
the ends. To make these 
knobs, select a few well sea¬ 
soned, sound sticRs of some 
tough wood, which will not 
split easily, like yellow lo¬ 
cust, iron wood (or horn¬ 
beam,) river beech, or pep- 
peridge. A piece two feet 
and a half long and 4 inches 
thick in the clear, will make 
six knobs, 4 inches in dia 
meter and 4i inches long, 
shaped like fig. 2, above, and an expert wood¬ 
turner will get them out in a few minutes at a 
cost of about two cents a piece. 
Soon after they are turned, they 
should be sawed apart and bored 
through with a i-inch bit, to pre¬ 
vent unequal drying and crack¬ 
ing. -The pin-hole (seen in the 
cut) should be bored I of an inch 
from the tip-end, using a sharp 
nail bit. Then the hole should 
be reamed out with a bung-hole 
borer, shown in fig. 3, making a 
tapering hole, as indicated by 
dotted lines in fig. 2, about an 
inch in diameter at the lower 
end of the knob. Soak the knobs 
thus made, several days in lin¬ 
seed oil or coal tar, to prevent 
shrinking and cracking when on 
the horns. If the animal to be 
adorned will not allow its horns 
to be bored, make it fast by the 
horns ■ to a bar or pole fastened 
securely in a gate or doorway, 
which has strong posts. Ream out the holes 
to. fit the horns well. Then crowd on the 
balls, mark each horn on both sides with a 
square-pointed awl, and, removing the balls, 
bore the horns half-way through from each side, 
using a small gimlet having a sharp screw. Use 
pins of No. 11 or 12 steel wire, 3 inches long, 
filed to round points. The holes in the horns 
should be bored “drawing” to keep the knobs 
from working loose—that is, they should have 
the effect to spring the pin down in the middle, 
but not more than one-fourth of its diameter. 
"When the holes are so bored, the pins must be 
driven in with some force. To do thi§, a heavy 
sledge hammer, or stone weighing 20 or 30 
pounds, should be held against tlic knob to pre- 
3.—KEAMER. 
They should be 
Fig. 4.—WOODEN KNOBS ON CATTLE. 
vent all jarring, as cattle are extremely sensitive 
to any blow upon their horns. Drive each pin 
about a quarter of au inch beneath the surface. 
The best way to insert the ring is, to lash the head 
^of the bull to a strong post,*or to a bar beUvecu 
two trees, or strong 
posts, as shown 
in another col¬ 
umn. Theii make 
a puncture with a 
white-hot, pointed 
iron as large as the 
ring, by thrusting 
it througli the sep- 
ium, or wall be¬ 
tween- the nostrils, 
and drawing it out again instantaneousl}'. 
It will be easM7' for some, to use a large leath¬ 
er punch, or even.an awl, to make the hole. 
Then insert the ring, screw in the bolt, which 
should turn in hard, with the strap- attached. 
The strap ought to be of the toughest harness 
leather and the flap riveted, and sewed besides, 
BULL KING. 
for the American Agriculturist. 
How To Eaise' Turkeys. 
The Best King for a Bull, 
The ring we here illustrate is far superior to 
the circular rings in common use. The circular 
part is placed in the nose and a- strong strap is 
attached to the straight cross-piece. The ring 
should be about two inches in diameter, made 
of iron bent into a bow, or U shape; In one 
end of the U, an eye is made, through which a 
steel bolt passes, having a screw head, and 
screwing through the other end of the U, in 
which a thread is cut. The circular portion 
should be finished perfectly smooth, so as to 
cause no irritation to the pose of the animal.^ 
“ In the first place, select a good kind. The 
autumn or early in winter is the most favora¬ 
ble time for that—just before the birds are sent 
to market. Keep them well during the winter; 
make pets of them if you like. Mine eat from 
my hand, and answer to my call. In the spring, 
a few days before they begin to lay (which is 
about two weeks after moulting), put them in 
an enclosure, where it is most desirable to have 
their nests, and where they can not get out. 
After they have made their nests, they may bo 
set at liberty without any fear of roaming or 
straying. Next, take good care of the eggs. 
They should be gathered carefully every day, 
and placed between layers of Lannel or cotton, 
in a place of uniformly cool temperature, and 
turned over every day. In spring, after the 
turkeys begin to lay, it is often cold enough to 
freeze the ground, when, if the eggs are suffered 
to lie out, they will become chilled, and will 
not hatch. In warm weather, it is not so neces¬ 
sary to protect the eggs. As soon as the birds are 
hatched, feed them warm bread and milk, well 
peppered, with boiled eggs added; or with lop- 
pered milk, thickened with cooked corn meal, 
or canaille (wheat middlings) which is better. A 
little care in these matters wall repay all efforts. 
Before I knew how to take care of the eggs, I 
set 30 eggs one year, and but one of them hatch¬ 
ed ! The next year 1 set 40 eggs, and nearly all 
of them hatched, and the birds lived. At pres¬ 
ent prices, raising poultry is a much more pleas¬ 
ant and easy occupation than the slavish drud¬ 
gery of making butter and cheese. At least such 
is the opinion of a Cayuga Co, farmeb’? 'Wife,'* 
-- ■ , iimM ■ H --- 
g Light Stables for all but Fattening 
, Animals, 
Light is as essential to the healthiness of the 
eye, as good food is for the stomach. Light 
strengthens the eye. Darkness, and especially 
sudden changes from darkness to light, tend to 
weaken the vision of both men and animals. 
When a horse is taken from a dark stable, he 
walks as if he were blind, and the light that 
meets his eyes appears to cause pain. Every 
stable should have glass windows, wherever 
the climate is too cold ta admit of open win¬ 
dows. When it is not convenient to have a 
glass window in the walls, panes of glass may 
be fitted to holes sawed in the door; • or a sash 
containing a single row of panes may be set in 
