3o8 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
April 22 
AGE OF A DISHORNED COIN. 
LOOK AT HER TEETH. 
One thing I have not noticed in The R. N.-Y , 
and that is bow to teli the age of a cow that 
has been dishorned. It is laughable to see the 
number of cows that have been dishorned that 
are not over nine years old. If any one can tell 
how to do it, it would be a great benefit to 
farmers that now and then have to buy cowb. 
New York. t. e e. 
Still Likes a Horn. 
We are buying cows continually, and 
much prefer cows with horns and teeth 
in perfect condition. I think it is im¬ 
possible to tell a cow’s age in any way 
except by the horns. A good judge can 
tell much by the appearance of the 
teeth, but I have seen a mulley cow six 
years old by outward appearances, but 
with no front teeth, and she was actually 
14 or 15. I have seen a cow with a 10- 
year mouth and a 14-year-old horn. We 
have had very little experience with dis¬ 
horning, as I much prefer and enjoy see¬ 
ing a dairy with natural heads, whether 
a horned or a mulley head. Many dealers 
who are buying and selling will, on 
purchasing an aged cow, clip the horns 
immediately, but if they get a young 
cow, they take much pains to preserve 
and show the horns. Many cows from 
the West are freshly clipped, w. w. c 
Judging by the Teeth. 
Since the advent of dishorning, it has 
introduced an element of uncertainty 
in judging the age of cows, notably so 
where the practice of buying and selling 
is extensive, as in the dairy sections of 
northern Ohio. I know of no absolute 
way of telling the age of a dishorned 
cow, save by her general appearance 
Old cows have a sort of “sad” look 
about them as though they were trying 
to peer ahead, and wonder whether they 
have 16 years more of toil and turmoil 
ahead of them, before they are to bring 
up in a cannery plant and figure prom¬ 
inently in Army circles. The only thing 
that one can be certain about is the con¬ 
dition of the lower front teeth. The 
supposition is that, if a cow has good, 
solid front teeth, she is yet good for sev¬ 
eral yt ars. Near my house is the selling 
yard of a cow merchant, who not only 
supplies hundreds of cows to farmers, 
but sends many car-load lots of spring¬ 
ers to the eastern markets. It is of 
daily occurrence to see the buyers cor¬ 
nering cows and examining their teeth 
to help guess their age. If the teeth are 
worn, show spaces between them, are 
colored, and a corner tooth, possibly, 
absent, the cow is either thrown out, or 
a cut price offered. If the teeth are 
close, bright and sound, she is supposed 
to be six (?) years past. One cannot tell 
exactly how old a dishorned cow is, but 
can approximate her age fairly, though 
some cows carry a good set of teeth 
dangerously near up to the line where 
profit is succeeded by uncertainty. 
JOHN GOULD. 
What the Teeth Show. 
Horns Less Important. —I have al¬ 
ways regarded the horns of very small 
importance in showing the age of the 
cow when buying. It is true that the 
horns indicate the age, but not always 
accurately. The rings usually begin to 
come with the first calf. For instance, 
if a heifer drops her first calf at two 
years old, the first ring counts two, but 
if she does not calve until three, then 
the first ring counts three years. After 
the cow gets along in years, the most 
important thing on which her continu¬ 
ance of usefulness depends, is the con¬ 
dition of her teeth. Generally, as long 
as her teeth last, she will continue to do 
well in the dairy ; but when these fail, 
she will begin to go down hill. There¬ 
fore, it is never safe to buy a cow with¬ 
out looking at her teeth, for some fail 
sooner than others. 
How Teeth Grow. —For the benefit 
of those who are not in the habit of ex¬ 
amining the teeth of the cow, I will de¬ 
scribe their appearance at various ages. 
In determining the age of the cow, it is 
necessary only to examine the front 
teeth of the lower jaw (I say lower jaw, 
because a man came to buy a cow of me 
some time ago, and objected to taking 
her because she had no upper front 
teeth). The calf has eight small milk 
teeth ; but when nearing two years old, 
the two middle ones are replaced by two 
permanent and much larger ones, when 
her mouth presents the appearance of 
the upper part of Fig. 124. The two next 
ones come at three or a little before, two 
more at four, and at five years old, the 
cow has a full mouth much like those 
shown in the center of Fig. 124. The two 
middle ones are at this time about three- 
fourths inch long, with the others grow¬ 
ing shorter to the outside. After this, the 
teeth grow shorter every year, and at 
seven years, we may expect to find the 
teeth not much over one-half inch in 
length. They keep on wearing off until, 
at nine or ten years, they are very much 
shorter and seem narrower, also, barely 
touching each other; the gums, also, 
begin to shrink away, until sometimes 
a tooth or two may get knocked out by 
biting something ha^d. A good 10-year- 
oli month is represented in the lower 
part of Fig. 124 
Get a Standard —By looking at the 
teeth of cows of which one Imows the 
age, he m jy soon become well acquainted 
with their appearance. While it is im- 
TEK COW’S TEETH. Fig. 124. 
possible to tell exactly the age of a cow 
when over five years old, still one may 
judge near enough for all practical pur¬ 
poses. If a cow’s mouth presents an 
eight-year-old appearance, it dees not 
make much difference if she is 9 or 10. 
She will, in all probability, last as long 
as the average eight-year-old cow Deal¬ 
ers will often insist that the 10-year-old 
mouth here illustrated belongs to the 
seven-year old cow ; but that is no reason 
why the buyer should be deceived. He 
can easily learn for himself. 
j. grant morse. 
The Bureau of Animal Industry, ol the United 
States Department of Agriculture, has issued, in 
Bulletin 23, an account of the serum treatment of 
swine plague and hog cholera. As most farmers 
know, this treatment aims to give immunity to 
hogs, by inoculating them much after the man¬ 
ner of the vaccination treatment for smallpox. 
The serum used for the treatment is obtained 
from the blood of cattle, horses, mules, or don¬ 
keys, much after the plan of securing the anti¬ 
toxin for diphtheria. The pamphlet tells the 
whole story in an interesting way. It is stated 
that this treatment costs about 15 cents per head, 
and has given very fair results in field trials. 
We observed in the West, however, that many 
large hog raisers were not particularly interested 
in it 
Losses ok Milk Cans.— It is stated that ship¬ 
pers who send milk to Chicago lose nearly $-40,000 
a year by thefts of their cans. The cans go to 
junk dealers who linker them up and sell them 
over again. They also do an enormous business 
in milk bottles, which they sell to pickle dealers 
and grocers. A law has now been introduced in 
the Illinois legislature, which makes it a legal 
offense to remove initials or other means of iden¬ 
tifying milk cans. Those who have cans in their 
possession, except as milk receivers, and upon 
condition that the can is to be returned, are also 
liable to arrest. It is high time something was 
done to stop this stealing of milk cans. As with 
apples or other fruit, many people seem to think 
that the farmer’s property is common property, 
and may be taken wherever found. 
The tattooing of valuable dogs is a new devel¬ 
opment. It is comparatively easy for a profes¬ 
sional dog-stealer to alter the appearance of a 
valuable animal, so as to prevent indentiflcatlon, 
but a private tattoo mark, under the hair, and 
known only to the dog’s owner, is not likely to be 
tampered with. Long-eared dogs have the tattoo 
marks inside an ear. 
The Pennsylvania Experiment Station (State 
College) issued two bulletins on dairy subjects. 
No. 45 discusses the problem of heated milk for 
buttermaking. It has been claimed that, by 
heating milk to 155 to 160 degrees, most of the 
germs are destroyed, and that then pure cultures 
for starters might be induced to give better- 
flavored butter. Results in Pennsylvania do not 
show any particular advantage in doing this It 
is, also, found that the skim-milk is not as s iit- 
ablefor c.Of feeding as when the milk is not 
heated Bulletin No 44 discusses commercial 
butter cultures. Results do not indicate any 
special advantage in the use of these cultures. 
The conclusion seems to be that, in our present 
dairy conditions, it would hardly pay to buy and 
use a Pasteurizin g outfit, also these pure cultures. 
Docs bt Mail —Somebody with an apparently 
exalted idea of the possibilities of Uncle Sam’s 
postal facilities, dropped a small puppy into one 
of the large boxes placed in the streets for the 
reception of newspapers and large parcels. The 
dog had a card attached, on which was a Chicago 
address and a two-cent stamp. The postal offi¬ 
cials are in a quandary as to what disposition to 
make of him, for the case is unprecedented, and 
the regulations prescribe no method of dispos¬ 
ing of dogs; besides, live animals would likely 
be declared unmailable. There doesn’t seem to 
be much encouragement in the direction of mak¬ 
ing the mails a medium for tae transmission of 
live stock. 
POULTRY 
' We keep everything in the POULTRY LINE, 4 
’ Fencing, Feed, Incubators, Live Stock, Brooders ♦ 
■ —anything—it’s our business. Call or let us ♦ 
■ send you our illustrated catalogue—it’s free for ♦ 
• the asking—it’s worth having. 4 
Excelsior Wire and Poultry Supply Co., 4 
♦ 28 Vesey Street, New York City. 
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦< 
BRABAZQN’S POULTRY-CATALOGUE 
cprry It’s a beauty; orer 50 eolored plat«s» Hla*» 
* O** 1 trafces and describes fine Turkey*, Get**, 
vDucka and chickens; elves prices of fowls A egga. USaoe* 
J&wj er*» Guide published* Incloee 10c. for postufe. tie. 
IJ. R. Brabazon, Jr, & Co., Box 57, Dclavaa, wig. 
WHITE WYANDOTTES 
Business stock 
i and standard- 
bred. Hens prolific layers. None better. Low prices. 
Write for egg dr. Ralph Woodward, New Rochelle, N.Y 
200 
young Barred P. Rocks; also Eggs. Clrcula 
free if yon mention this paper. 
C. F. GIFFKN, Lock Box 85, 8t. Clairsville, Ohio. 
White Wyandottes —Send for circu¬ 
lar. Geo. R. Schauber, Box Y, Ballston Lake, N.Y. 
Best Farm Breeds. —Buff Rocks, Buff 
Leghorns, Mammoth BroDze Turkeys. Eggs now. 
SAMUEL DUNBAR, Klkhorn, Wis. 
□ nils TBV“ Ten Ijea,lin S Varieties.—Larg- 
rUUL I il I est practical breeder in Ohio. 
CHAS. McCLAVK, New London, O. Box WO. 
Selected Matings in Standard-bred 
Rocks, Leghorns. Wyandottes, Indian Games, Pekin 
Ducks. Kggs. 81.50. My hobby is to give what I 
promise. Listfree. BUN MORELAND, Pataskala, O. 
White Wyandotths Exclusively.— 
Write wants. Spencer’s Poultry Farm, Ptaenix, U. 1. 
OUR BEARDED 
LADY. 
Designing men, through alluring and cun¬ 
ningly worded advertisements, constantly 
endeavor to work upon the feelings of sick 
and ailing women by inviting them “towrite 
to a woman (!) and secure a woman's sym¬ 
pathy.” It is well to remember that the 
best sympathy is to had at home and not 
from strangers, perhaps hundreds of miles 
distant. The object of the sick is to get well, 
and however precious sympathy may be, ill 
never yet cured a seriously afflicted woman. 
While the sympathy of your milliner of 
dressmaker might be appreciated and be 
just as beneficial, if not more so, than sym¬ 
pathy from a stranger, yet it can not effect 
your cure if you are an ailing woman. 
It is loudly proclaimed through the press 
that “a woman can best understand a 
woman’s ailments,” and on this ground sick 
women are invited to “write to a woman ” 
and get the benefit of a woman’s advice. 
The sort of “understanding of her ailments” 1 
wanted by a sick woman is a trained medi¬ 
cal understanding. If a woman has this 
trained medical knowledge she understands 
woman’s ailments not as a woman , but as a 
physician. If she is not a doctor she cannot 
understand the ailments at all, and cannot 
treat them successfully, because she lacks 
the necessary training. 
As far as known, there is no regularly 
qualified woman physician connected with 
any proprietary medicine especially de¬ 
signed for women—no one, therefore quali¬ 
fied by learning and experience, to advise 
on questions of disease and its cure. 
It is certain that there is no one, man or 
woman, connected with any “put-up” 
medicine for women, excepting only Dr. 
Pierce’s Favorite Prescription, who, like 
Dr. Pierce, is a regular .graduated and quali¬ 
fied physician, and who has, like him, de¬ 
voted more than thirty years to the special 
study and treatment of diseases of women. 
For more than thirty years Dr. R. V. 
Pierce, a regularly graduated doctor, has 
been chief consulting physician of the 
Invalids’ Hotel and Surgical Institute, of 
Buffalo, N. Y. On his staff are nearly a 
score of regularly graduated, experienced, 
skilled physicians, each of whom is a spec¬ 
ialist in his chosen class of diseases. Ev¬ 
ery letter addressed to Dr. Pierce as above, 
has prompt, conscientious attention, is re¬ 
garded as sacredly confidential and is an¬ 
swered in a plain envelope so your private 
affairs are kept safe from pryiug eyes. 
LOUSY SITTING HENS 
will leiive their nextR at every op¬ 
portunity, grow thinner and thinner— 
often die before hatching time. 
Lambert’s Death to Lice 
will clean a hen, sitting or standing, the 
minute you put it on. It will not injure 
eggs or little chickens. Trial size 10c 
post paid. 64-page POULTRY 
BOOK FREE. 
D. J. LAMBERT, 
Box SO? Apponaug, R. I. 
THEY HATCH MILLIONS 
of Chickens, Ducks, Turkeys 
and other fowls in every state 
and territory in the Union and 
In many foreign countries— 
THE PRAIRIE STATE 
INCUBATORS. 
Gssd by the largest poultry 
brssden, duck and broiler farms 
srtry where. Have taken over 
*0© fret prizes in all kinds of competition. 
The easiest to handle, cheapest to operate, 
surest in results ana most handsome and 
durable in construction, 168 p. catalog and supplement 
FREE. Prairie State Incubator Co., Homer City, Pa. 
HATCH CHICKENS 
BY STEAM— with ih. 
simple, perfect, self regulatlng 
EXCELSIOR i ncubator 
Thousands In successful operstlon. 
Lowest priced lst-clsss hatcher made. 
GKO. II. STAHL, 
114 to 1 23 S. 6*h St.. Quincy, III. 
THE IMPROVED 
VICTOR Incubator 
Hatches Chickens by Steam. Absolutely 
self-regulating. The simplest, moat 
reliable, and cheapest flrst-clasa Hatchet 
. la the market. Circulars FREE. 
GEO. ERTKL CO., QUINCY. It *. 
Special 60 Day Discount Sale 
on our Latest Improved Standard Inca 
bators and Brooders Large valuable 
Catalogue and Discount Sheet for Be. 
Flower City Inc. Co., Rochester. N. Y 
BROODERS. 
Olentangy Brooders given up to be the best to raise 
chicks by 10.000 people using them. Send for cata¬ 
logue. Address G. 8. SINGER, Cardington, Ohio. 
The Warmest Sheathing Paper. 
A new thing, made on scientific principles, and by 
actual test ten times as warm as common papers. 
Makes houses, stables, poultry houses,etc., wind and 
frost proof and costs only aboutone cent a foot. Easy 
to use, repels vermin, and n^ver rots. - 
Cabot’s Insulating “(juilt.” 
SAMUEL CABOI, Sole Manufacturer, 
81 Kilby Street, Boston, Mass. 
Send for sample—tree. Agents at a.l Central Points. 
A-l 
Hf 
ee< 
dei 
r i 
roi 
r $! 
5 . 00 . 
The New CHAMPION WEEDER 
Send us $5 
Is an attachment for any one-horse cultivator. Cul¬ 
tivates the roiv and between the roiv at one operation. 
The weeder cultivates the row, kills all the weeds and 
gTass, leaving a mulch of fine earth about the plants, while 
the cultivator takes care of the middles. 
Can Be Attached to Any Make 
of One-Horse Cultivator. 
Instantly attached or raised or lowered at will. So low In 
price that every farmer can afford to have one. Sold strictly 
on its merits. SATISFA.CTIOX ft VAM AX TEED. 
AND SECURE ONE AT ONCE. Remit by MONEY ORDER or 
First order from your locality gets agency. We Want Agents 
REGISTERED LETTER, 
Address, Champion Weeder Co., Ftiedens, Pennsylvania. 
