1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
747 
DISHORNING DORSET SHEEP. 
By a simple treatment one can easily 
stop the growth of horns on calves. Some 
Horned Dorset sheep have long and mis¬ 
shapen horns. Is there an easy way to 
stop their growth when they are lambs? 
Portland, Me. j. h. r. 
I have never tried putting caustic on 
our Dorset lambs’ horns, nor would it 
be safe for any one else to try it on our 
lambs! Why do not those who dislike 
the horns on the Dorsets so much try 
another breeu i There is no objection to 
sawing them off, moderately close, but 
to me it seems foolish, unless in the case 
of a ram with deformed or ingrowing 
horn. That the Dorset ewes have a pro¬ 
tection against dogs (and that is an es¬ 
tablished fact, in our experience), much 
more than makes up for the inconveni¬ 
ence of it. One has at most two or three 
rams, and can put up with their horns. 
We are sending Dorsets to our Utah 
ranche, in hopes that they may show 
the sneaking coyotes a thing or two. 
Dorsets are almost never vicious toward 
their keepers. Why, then, not let them 
carry their natural protectors? 
JOSEPH E. WING. 
We have never attempted to remove 
horns from the Dorset Horned sheep, or 
from any other breed of sheep. The 
practical difficulty which would stand in 
the way would be to discover the horns 
at the proper time for the application of 
the caustic potash. We can see no rea¬ 
son why the horns cannot be prevented 
from growing on sheep as well as upon 
calves. We should try caustic potash 
and follow the same rule as applies for 
calves. When the tip of the horn is felt 
the hair and wool should be closely 
clipped from the skin, and the horn 
moistened with a little water to which 
soap or a few drops of ammonia have 
been added to dissolve the oily secretions 
of the skin so that the potash will more 
readily adhere to the surface of the horn. 
Care must be taken not to moisten the 
skin except on the horn, where the caus¬ 
tic potash is to be applied. One end of 
a stick of caustic potash is dipped in 
water until it is slightly softened. It is 
then rubbed on the moistened surface of 
the little horn. This operation is re¬ 
peated from five to eight times, until 
the surface of the horn becomes slightly 
sensitive. The whole operation need 
take but a few minutes, and the animal 
is apparently insensible to it. A slight 
scab forms over the surface of the bud¬ 
ding horn, and drops off in the course of 
a month or six weeks. If the caustic is 
allowed to spread over the surface of the 
skin around the horn a sore may be pro¬ 
duced which will be very slow in heal¬ 
ing. L. A. CLINTON. 
SOME ANIMALS THAT REASONED. 
The following instances that have 
come under our observation go to show 
that the lower animals have reasoning 
powers. Our little Morgan mare Dolly 
Pet was driven by my husband from 
Waukegan to within four miles of Mar¬ 
seilles, Ill., a distance of 120 miles. A 
week or so after we drove to Marseilles, 
from there crossed the bridge over the 
Illinois River, and over the bluffs, going 
down the river to Ottawa. Dolly or 
myself had never been in this section 
of country before; ail was new and 
strange. She often looked about and 
whinnied; when we would speak to her 
she seemed to feel that her old friends 
were with her. After our visit in Ot¬ 
tawa we recrossed the river, going 
back on the other side. Dolly wisheu 
to turn and go the way she came, and 
she would not drive free as usual, until 
we got out of the town, when she took 
a sharp trot and kept it up. We were 
on the Chicago road, and when within 
three miles ci our uncle’s we turned to 
the right. At every cross road she 
would turn her head and look, but al¬ 
ways looking to the right. My husband 
noticed it and remarked, “Wonder if 
Dolly will turn right?” At each cross 
road he gave her the lines, but she still 
trotted on, when all at once she gave a 
little snort cf satisfaction and whirled 
us around the corner. “Is she right!” 
I exclaimed, as I did not know one road 
from another. “Yes, she is, and how 
did she know?” Yes, will some one tell 
how she knew? Born and brought up 
in Nebraska, never in that part of the 
country before, she took the right road 
and when we came to Uncle’s house 
from the opposite direction from which 
we left it she turned up the drive with 
a whinny of joy. 
Another case: My husband was walk¬ 
ing along a ravine, and crossing the 
brook was a foot bridge. As he came 
to one end oi it he saw a cow starting 
to cross at the other side. She looked 
up, stopped, backed off, and stepped up 
on the side of the bank and waited until 
my husband had crossed, then she went 
over. She reasoned that two could not 
cross at one time. When in the Rocky 
Mountains I saw one morning a little 
burro on the railroad track, just below 
my window. I thought nothing strange, 
as burros are so numerous. Soon a large 
black dog sprang out from the rocks and 
began jumping around the burro, nip¬ 
ping his heels, and seemed to be trying 
to get him off the track. Soon a whistle 
and a train came around the curve. The 
dog was frantic; he tried to push the 
burro from the track with h.s paws 
against the animal’s side. He barked 
and finally took hold of the donkey’s 
tail, which set him to kicking, and at 
last, just as the train was almost to 
them, the dog got the burro off the 
track. The train came almost to a stop 
and the trainmen gave a cheer as the 
dog stood one side, panting with the ex¬ 
ertion. After that I saw the two often, 
and was told that they were insepar¬ 
able, but the dog seemed to care more 
for the burro than he for the dog. 
When in Nebraska we had a little dog 
we called Cuub. We delivered butter to 
private customers in the city every Sat¬ 
urday. Chub generally went when the 
team did; he knew where each customer 
lived. Instead of going with us from one 
street to another he would cut across 
through an alley or yard, and when we 
got tnere Chub was waiting. He was 
known about town as the “butter dog.” 
Some animals have more brains and 
reason about them than some humans. 
Erie Co., Pa. sirs. e. c. Johnson. 
A BIT OF HEN HISTORY. 
We built a new henhouse last Fall, 
and on November 8 placed therein 15 
old hens, some yearlings, others of un¬ 
certain age; and 85 pullets hatched dur¬ 
ing April and May, making just 100 
birds in all. All the pullets were from 
a purebred R. C. W. Leghorn cock bred 
to hens of mixed blood. They have been 
confined to this house, and to a yard 
containing about one-sixth acre, ever 
since they were first put in. Ten of the 
hens have been converted into pot-pie, 
none have a.ed, leaving 90 at present 
time. The egg record by months is as 
follows: 
Nov., 1899 . 
. 184 
May. 
Dec., 
1899 . 
. 538 
June. 
.1,068 
Jan., 
1900 . 
. 964 
July. 
.1,226 
Feb., 
1900 . 
.1,155 
Aug. 
.1,126 
Mch. 
, 1900 . 
.1,321 
Sept. 
. 852 
April, 1900 . 
.1,569 
To be sure this is nothing very fancy, 
and we hope to better it another year. 
We did the best we knew how by the 
hens, and they did fairly well in return. 
Of the eggs laid in November, the great¬ 
er part were laid by the old hens, but a 
few pullets were laying from the start. 
This year we shall aim to house the pul¬ 
lets about November 1, or as soon as se¬ 
vere weather sets in. Our hens did not 
commence moulting till very late this 
season, and indications are that they 
will not have their new coats all on for 
a month or six weeks yet. 
We do not feed any of the condition 
powders or stimulating compounds to 
encourage egg production, oelieving such 
mixtures to ue unnecessary, expensive 
and a detriment to the birds. We feed 
a liberal ration containing plenty of 
animal nitrogen,either in the form of 
skim-milk or animal meal. We also 
make it a point to furnish plenty of suc¬ 
culent food, such as cabbage, cut roots 
and clover. We are still very young and 
inexperienced in the systematic keeping 
of poultry, but we firmly believe that ?5 
worth of hens properly cared for will 
yield more profit than an equal sum in¬ 
vested in cow. 
You can put us down as members of 
the Apple Consumers’ League, and in fa¬ 
vor of everything tending to improve 
the condition of American farmers and 
farming. R. w. r. 
Mill Brook, Conn. 
Profitable Cows 
will quickly be found by using our 
ADJUSTABLE DIAL 
HAND SCALE 
Weighs quickly and accurately in pounds 
and twentieths. Write for new catalogue. 
Everything for the Dairy. 
THE DAIRYMEN'S SUPPLY CO., 
100? Market St., Philadelphia. 
I/CCD TUCM BT IT Hons must lay all year 
MLr mem A I I I ■ round to be profitable. 
Feeding plenty of roots and vegetables will do it. Our 
BANNER JUNIOR ROOT AND VEGETABLE CUTTER 
cutaS all roots and vegetables fast and fine. Easily con¬ 
sumed by chicks and ducklings. Send for free booklet. 
0. E* THOMPSON k SONS, YPSI1.ANTI, MICH. 
Corn-Fed Hens. —We have had the 
Brahmas, which we consider good Win¬ 
ter layers, but we have so much corn 
laying around in their reach that we get 
a pint of oil out of a hen, beside wh'at 
we use to cook her with. If kept com¬ 
fortable and not overfed corn, but given 
milk to drink and wheat screenings once 
a day, and some old mortar to run to, 75 
per cent of hens should lay. I never 
noticed any regularity about hens moult¬ 
ing. We had more eggs last Summer 
than ever before. We have the White 
Wyandottes, some Wyandottes mixed 
witn Brahma, and some Brown Leg¬ 
horns. I believe in the dual purpose 
cow, also hen. We think the White 
Wyandottes are the stuff, but tne roos¬ 
ters are bad to fight. I think the White 
Holland turkeys are the best in uhe tur¬ 
key line—the Short-horns of the poul¬ 
try yard. Nobody ought to expect many 
eggs if he feeds the hens every time he 
goes near them, for they will get as fat 
as hogs, especially large breeds like the 
Brahmas. Our poultry have the range 
of the farm. We house the pullets about 
the time the snow begins to fly. They 
don’t have to have a netting fence or 
the care Belgian hares do. w. h. 
Rennselaer, Ind. 
Sharpen your own Horse. 
THE BLIZZARD 
the greatest of all 
HORSEICE CALKS 
Agents Wanted. Address, 
S.W. KENT.Cazenovia.N.Y. 
COOK YOUR FEED and SAVE 
Half the Cost—with the *, 
PROFIT FARM BOILER 
With Dumping Caldron. Empties its 
kettle in one minute. The simplest 
and best arrangement for cooking 
food for stock. Also make Dairy and 
Laundry Stoves, Water and Steam 
Jacket Kettlos, Hog Scalders, Cal* 
drons, etc. 9T-J- Send for circulars. 
D. R. SPERRY & CO., Batavia, I1L 
Wo Guarantee Our 
lEZSEZN 
FEED COOKERS 
;o be full measure and full value* 
Low priced but high quality. Burn 
coal, wood or cobs. 7 sizes—15 to 75 
apis. Cook all kin da of feed,anything. 
Circulars and price* free* 
HEESEN BROS. & GO. 
It Evans St., Tecnmseh, Mich. 
Root Gutters Pay.—I have cut beets, 
potatoes and apples. The machine cuts 
them in good shape for the stock to eat. 
t am cutting apples for my cow now, and 
there is no danger of choking with them. 
I would not be without a root cutter for 
twice what it cost me. I know that the 
best way that potatoes, beets and apples 
can be fed is to cut them. t. t. 
Genoa, N. Y. 
I have shoved a whip stock down a 
cow’s throat to knock out a potato time 
and again, with no benefit to the cow, 
and from my own experience can honest¬ 
ly say this to all interested: If you want 
to feed roots to any kind of stock buy a 
cutter; they only cost about $8. a. h. p. 
Clark Mills, N. Y. 
I have used the Banner root cutter, and 
am very much pleased with it. I have cut 
mangels, carrots and potatoes. The ma¬ 
chine cuts all kinds of roots so fine that it 
is impossible for any kind of stock to 
choke on them. No man who grows roots 
for stock should be without one. 
Lake Breeze, O. w. g. m. 
I have used a root cutter for some time, 
and it has proved satisfactory; have cut 
principally turnips. I have sliced a few 
potatoes. It works all right. I consider it 
a great benefit to use this machine. I 
grow mostly turnips, beets and carrots, 
but have never used it in cutting the beets 
or carrots. I feed my roots to cows and 
sheep. I feed meal a good deal, and it is 
much nicer to use it on the roots that are 
uniformly cut. The cutter I use cuts the 
roots fine enough, so that there is no dan¬ 
ger of the cattle being choked. I would 
hardly call the pieces slices, as they are 
not the same thickness all through, the 
center of the piece being thicker than the 
edges. w. g. r. 
Riverhead, L. I. 
The Verdict 
The jury of awards at the Paris Ex¬ 
position pronounced the EMPIRE 
Cream Separator worthy of the 
Grand Prize. 
The thousands of dairy farmers 
who are using t hese machines pro¬ 
nounce them the most profitable 
creaming system procurable. Try an 
EMPIRE 
Cream Separator 
ten days in your own dairy and 
you will understand and appreci¬ 
ate why it is so highly honored. 
Write for further particulars and 
free catalogue. 
U. S. Buffer Extractor Company, 
212 Orange Street, 
Newark, N. J. 
Cream Separators. 
De Laval “ Alpha " and “ Baby " Separators. 
First—Best—Cheapest. All Styles—Sixes 
Prloea, SBO to $800. 
Save 110 per oow per year. Send for Catalogue. 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO., 
Randolph and Canal Streets, I 74 Cortlandt Street 
CfilCAGC I NBW YORK. 
SHARPLES 
CREAM SEPARATORS 
ALWAYS THE BEST. 
TWS SHARPLES CO. P. H. SIIAKPLE8, 
Chicago, UL Vf e.t Cheater Pa. 
Dairy Sweepstakes at Iowa State Fair of 1900 
^w° Sf bv h us ER improved u. $. SEPARATOR. 
i . , , . West Branch, Ia., Sept. 28, 1900. 
. J purchased a r*o. 6 Improved X . S. Separator a year aero and can say 
7 it is a grand success. Would not do without it. 
m h* 111 .? n if' 1 aver: *gc 8 cows, and have made enough over and above what I 
na e with the same number of cows when using the gravity system to pay for 
my separating outfit in one year. 
1 exhibited butter made from U. S. Separator cream at the State Fair this year 
and received Highest Award, including Sweepstakes, in the Dairy Class and 
premiums amounting to $56. WRIGLEY SMITH. 
j| For lull information and de- 
scripttve catalogues write the VERMONT FARM MACHINE CO., Bellows Falls, Vt. 
