1891 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
203 
NATURE OR ARTIFICE IN THE HORNLESS 
WORLD. 
ROBT. C. AULD. 
[ Concluded .] 
But dishorning has, nevertheless, been practiced, it may 
be said, everywhere where the horns of cattle have proved 
themselves troublesome. Miss M. E. Clark, in her work, 
“Modern Mexico,” states that on a certain ranch there “ the 
cattle—about 2,000 head—are hornless, the horns having 
been seared when sprouting.” This plan is now universally 
practiced in North America. It is practiced also in Darkest 
Africa. It may interest some of the disputants on this 
subject to know that during his recent journey across 
Africa, Mr. H. M. Stanley found dishorning practiced by 
some of the tribes in the heart of the “Dark Continent,” 
not, however, to prevent the animals from goring one an¬ 
other, but with the object of allowing them to forage in 
the jungle, where the horns are a decided impediment. 
Writing of the cattle at Kavallis, situated in the southern 
end of the Allah Uyawya, Mr. Stanley thus describes 
them: “They are almost equal in size to English oxen, 
and are humpless. The horns are of medium length, but 
some are distinguished by unusual length of horn. The 
cattle of Usongora and Unyoro are mostly all of a hornless 
and humpless breed, and principally of fawn color, while 
those of Ankori have immensely long horns and hides of 
variegated hue. It is said that the cattle are made horn¬ 
less by burning them with fire, with a view to enable them 
to penetrate jungles.” Dishorning, then, seems to be a 
profitable and useful practice even in the wilds of Africa. 
It was practiced also in India among the Southern Ma¬ 
dras cattle, or Trincopoli breed. Prof. Wallace, in his 
work on “India,” page 50, says: “The horns are fre¬ 
quently suppressed, particularly In the northern part of 
the district, by firing or branding any time before they 
begin to shoot out. A flat bar of iron is heated and pressed 
upon the points of the budding horns, completely destroy¬ 
ing them, and leaving the animal as if it had belonged to 
a polled breed. This practice seems to me to destroy one’s 
confidence in the evidence taken from ancient Egyptian 
and other coins in favor of the existence of polled breeds 
of cattle in those remote times.” In regard to the last re¬ 
mark it is necessary to remind the professor that Egyptian 
coins have never been cited for the purpose mentioned. 
But the pictorial displays on the monuments have, and I 
may say that if these cattle had been dishorned, would we 
not have had pictorial representations showing us how 
the practice was effected, the same as we have of many 
other Egyptian practices ? Such polled cattle would not, 
anyway, have been exhibited alongside of horned cattle. 
In the literature of the country in which the coins that 
have been cited were designed, I do not think any descrip¬ 
tion is given of dishorning, which would have been given, 
also, if the heads so artificially polled had been thought 
worthy of being depicted thereon. The above evidence (as 
to polled cattle in ancient times,) from monuments and 
coins may be found in full in my articles on this subject in 
the American Naturalist. 
Dishorning is still common in Great Britain and Ireland. 
It was common a hundred years ago in Galloway, previous 
to the establishment of the polled breed of that region, to 
which practice some trace the origin of that hardy breed. 
Indeed even farther north, as indicated by Jamieson’s Scot¬ 
tish Dictionary.it seems to have been occasionally practiced. 
That work gives “cut-hornit” (Anglicd, cut horned), as 
used to describe an animal so mutilated. 
It has been practiced by Hereford and a few Ayrshire 
breeders in this country on their breeds, and it will be 
highly interesting to learn what effect this will have on 
future generations. Haaflf, the apostle of “ de ” horning, 
affirms that he could breed the horns off the Herefords in 
six generations. Would he kindly try ? 
In the May (1884) number of the National Live Stock 
Journal is an editorial article written in reply to an in¬ 
quiry as to “ destroying the horns on calves.” “ The ques¬ 
tion is,” asks the correspondent, “ could a hornless breed 
be produced in this manner, or a breed without horns, when 
notoperated on artificially?” After quoting items from 
Youatt, Coventry, Darwin and Dawkins, the editor says : 
“There can be no doubt that horns may be bred off of 
any of our cattle by first removing the horns when calves. 
The writer of this has two half-Jerseys that are without 
horns, although both sire and dam had good-sized horns. 
One had its horns injured accidentally when a calf, and 
the other had its horns seared with a hot iron when they 
first started, and they afterwards ceased to grow. These 
two heifers sometimes have calves with horns, and some¬ 
times without horns, the sire having horns. In breeding 
the horns off, it would be necessary to have the sire horn¬ 
less. After a few of each sex are established without 
horns by artificially removing them, and then breeding 
them together, and continuing to breed those without 
horns, it would require but a comparatively short time 
to establish a hornless breed. There would, at first, occa¬ 
sionally be a calf with horns, but this should be ex¬ 
cluded.” 
All this is so simple that it is a wonder we have not a 
number of proofs of the effects of the process. 
It is interesting to note that all the words used to 
describe polled cattle from the earliest application of such 
words seem to have some reference to such practices as 
originating the cattle so characterized. The word “ dod- 
die ” is derived from a root “ dodd,” meaning to lop or 
cut off; the word seems to be old English, hence Anglo- 
Saxon. Polled, English, is derived from to poll, of similar 
meaning. Cowie is a word applied to a cow without horns, 
derived through the Pictish from the Scandinavian, coll, 
to cut off. Humlie, used in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, for 
polled cattle, is also derived from a Scandinavian root 
meaning to mutilate. Even a similar connection can be 
traced for mulley. Every one knows what a mulley is. 
It may be traced in the Gallic to a word maol, meaning 
bald; hence mael was a word used in combination to 
denote those (of the priestly order) who shaved the ton- 
sure, which practice sometimes denuded the whole head, 
except a narrow fringe of hair at the verge. 
It is interesting to see what Darwin’s views on the sub¬ 
ject of polled cattle were—and he has frequent references 
to them. Nowhere, however, does he appear to think that 
they originated from any artificial practice, such as dis¬ 
horning. His view of the subject seems to be that they 
were originated from natural sports, or the “disuse of 
parts,” causing an arrest of development. 
The subject of the production of polled cattle has to be 
further considered in connection with the history of the 
species; and that seems to indicate a natural origin of the 
peculiarity. 
There is, we must remember, a natural tendency in cat¬ 
tle to produce hornless cattle. We see that every day, 
and history proves it. In breeds in which the horn is such 
a distinctive characteristic—such as the Short-horn, Here¬ 
ford, and Jersey—we find some, on occasions, discarding the 
horns entirely. Hence this tendency may bring into more 
immediate activity the influence of the “saw” in siring 
polled cattle and “ breeding off the briers.” Still it seems, 
with regard to hornless cattle, that there have been 
“brierless” individuals from which the varieties are pro¬ 
pagated. The evidence of the effect of pruning the briers 
so as to induce brierless specimens, is too meager yet to be 
entirely relied on. Even one or two cases could not sub¬ 
stantiate the theory. But we await expectantly the 
results of any sound experimentation in this line. At 
present the evidence is rather in favor of an inherent ten¬ 
dency to discard the horns ; in fact, to revert or return to 
the original state of the ruminant type in this respect. 
DEXTER CATTLE. 
The little cow shown at Fig. 71, is a Dexter, and was ex¬ 
hibited at the Smithfield Fat Stock Show in London last 
December. She weighed, fat, 1,114 pounds and was then 
four years and nine months old. The Mark Lane Express, 
in speaking of this breed, says : 
“ Both Kerries and Dexters are natives of the far south- 
A Dexter Cow. Fig. 7 1. 
From Mark Lane Express. 
west of Ireland, their picturesqueness and exceptionally 
good dairy qualities securing for them well-deserved ap¬ 
preciation. 
“ The Kerry is the old native breed of the Kerry Moun¬ 
tains. They are agile, deer-like animals, suited for hill 
climbing, and their hardy constitution and the great 
amount of milk they give, even when fed on the roughest 
of pastures, make them the best of animals not only for 
the Irish peasant, but for farmers on our poor uplands. 
Their characteristic features are fineness of head (broad 
across the eyes and tapering down to the nose), fine 
quality, upright horns, turning a little back at the points, 
yellowy-white in color, mottled and tipped with black; 
thin necks and shoulders; straight backs, with an inclina¬ 
tion to be a little high at the tail; somewhat ragged pin 
bones, suitable for throwing off the rain in a wet climate; 
long, fine legs, and thin tails. 
“The Dexters differ from these in being short in the 
legs and somewhat coarser in the bone. Their heads are 
shorter and wider; the horns not uniformly like those of 
the Kerry, but often a little drooping ; level wide backs ; 
deep chests and thighs—in fact, in horn and shape, like a 
miniature Short-horn. They are equally hardy and as 
good milkers as the Kerries but, while not so well adapted 
for mountain climbing, are much more suitable for meat 
producing, and are likely to become very strong favorites 
as dairy and park cows. The Dexter color is either black 
or red, with more or less white on the udder and under the 
belly. The origin of this strain is somewhat uncertain, 
but the best accepted theory is that they have been bred 
in-and-in from one or two particular specimens of the 
Kerry without admixture of foreign blood.” 
The Kerries and Dexters are having a mild sort of 
“ boom ” in England just now, special classes having just 
been made for them at the leading agricultural exhioi- 
tions. There is a growing demand for “ small joints” of 
beef, which Dexters, Devons and other smaller breeds 
supply to perfection. We understand that a fov herds of 
Kerry cattle are to be found in Canada, but we think none 
of the Dexters have yet been brought across the water. 
It is doubtful if they could find a place here except in 
some of the rough, hilly districts that are now pretty well 
stocked with Ayrshires. 
GERMAN CARP AND POND LILIES. 
German carp were introduced into American waters by 
the Fish Commissioners in 1877, and scarcely anything 
that has been brought from any foreign country in this 
line has benefited the farmer more than the fish of this 
species. They are, as the government officers truly say, 
the poor man’s fish. They thrive under a great many 
conditions and circumstances. They live and flourish 
where most of our cold-water fish would smother. In al¬ 
most any pool of water carp will grow. In fact, the warm 
est and richest dams are the great needs of these fish. A 
great many farmers and fish culturists make the greatest 
mistake right here. They construct dams and take out 
all the humus and rich soil, throwing it outside the dam 
or along the banks, and thus form an embankment. In 
meadows or along streams the soil is generally rich in 
vegetable matter, and removing the food substances from 
the fish pond is one of the great causes why some persons 
fail of success in raising carp. 
Another essential point is to keep the temperature as 
high as possible during the entire year. The sun cannot 
make the water too warm in a fish pond. The fish grow 
also in cold water; but not as they do where the condi¬ 
tions are properly regulated by the farmer. Two things 
are particularly necessary to make a proper success of rais¬ 
ing carp: the first is a rich, humid soil, and the other 
warm water. Without these one cannot expect to raise a 
great many pounds of fish for himself or to sell. 
I have found by experience that water plants are another 
great help to fish. All good authorities on carp agree that 
our pond lilies are the very best things to be found in a 
fish pond. During May and June the adult fish spawn 
and deposit their eggs along the edges of the bank, and 
where no grass or vegetation is supplied, the eggs fall into 
deep or cold water and thus become sterile. Our common 
white pond lily—Nymphaea odorata—is an elegant plant 
for carp ponds. I placed a root of this beautiful flower in 
one of my dams in 1884, and the plant has spread wonder¬ 
fully. Hundreds of the most lovely flowers are to be seen 
every day almost the entire summer. This and other 
water plants are among the earliest to show life in the 
vegetable line, and upon the leaves and stalks of 
these lilies the fish deposit their eggs, which are 
thus saved from falling into mud and deep water. 
Not only are these plants necessary for carp as a 
spawning bed, but they also furnish a great amount 
of food. I have noticed under the leaves of almost any¬ 
thing found in the water, such as pieces of roots of trees, 
wood or stones, innumerable substances of a jelly-like 
form containing eggs of different water creatures. These 
eggs and jellies the fish all ^appropriate to their use, and 
they are constantly found nosing among the leaves and 
roots for food. 
I have more than a dozen different water lilies in my 
carp dams and not one too many. To the lovers of beauti¬ 
ful flowers there can be no prettier sight than these 
water-loving plants. They are also very easily cultivated 
and need but little care. The large, white English lily is 
an exceedingly pretty thing. The Cape Cod pink lily has 
been very much admired, and the flowers of these are 
being sold everywhere. Another fine lily is the yellow- 
flowered and it is quite a new plant to most flower 
culturists. But the most exquisitely beautiful plant and 
flower is the sacred lotus of Egypt. Botanists call it 
Nelumbium. The pink lotus of the river Nile is such a 
rare and interesting plant that persons have come from 
considerable distances to sea a plant held in sacred 
memory for ages by the old Egyptians. These plants 
form a very pretty sight for a fish pond and are just as 
useful to the fish as they are beautiful to the eye. I have 
the pink, the red, yellow and white lotuses in all their 
glory and magnificence. The water lilies and other aquatic 
plants help to purify the water and prevent it from be¬ 
coming stagnant and foul, thus working two ways— 
providing food and cleansing the home of the finny tribe. 
The most unsightly places, such as marshes and bogs, can 
thus be made important factors to the sum total of the 
fish culturist. Such malaria-breeding places can be 
turned into fish dams and be made to blush as the lily 
and bloom as the rose. The wild rice also is a very essen¬ 
tial food product for carp dams. It produces a great 
amount of seed, which falls to the bottom and is eaten by 
the fish. This plant is found in two of my places. It is 
also a great attraction for wild fowl. Fishermen and 
hunters could not do more for their own interests than to 
stock the principal rivers and large mill dams with this 
grass. If the conditions of the water and the necessary 
plant food are right, carp will grow exceedingly fast in 
one summer. In 1884 all my carp escaped except nine 
small fish. In the spring of that year they were 1)4 inch 
long and in the fall of the same year those nine carp 
weighed 20 pounds—an average of over two pounds for 
each in about five months’ growth. Carp spawn some¬ 
times when two years old, but the proper time is generally 
when they are three years of age. The best time to eat 
carp is fall and winter. They are not considered good 
eating fish during summer and no wonder. No fish ought 
to be caught during spawning time, and as these fish 
spawn sometimes every month of summer they should be 
left to do their work. I don’t think there is muc i differ¬ 
ence in the varieties of carp. The Leather carp is a very 
fine and hardy fish and so is the Scale carp. The Mirror 
carp is a mongrel between the other two. All are as 
beautiful as the lilies under which they play and gambol 
as the noon-day sun pours down its brilliant rays. 
Berks Co., Pa. S. H. FEGELY. 
One cent will mail this paper to your friend 
in any part of the United States, Canada or 
Mexico, after you have read it and written 
your name on the corner. 
