1906. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
193 
HORNS OFF THE BULL. 
I saw on page 113 several short articles 
in regard to dishorning a bull, and I feel 
that none of the writers touched the sub¬ 
ject with sufficient strength. I have been 
a breeder of fine cattle for over 20 years 
and have had bulls on the place during the 
time without fear of harm, although the 
bulls were not dishorned, until four years 
ago. While acting as judge at a fair I 
met a man whose father had been killed a 
short time before by a bull with horns, 
and he spoke with such feeling on the 
subject that since then I have not had a 
bull over two years old that was not dis¬ 
horned. To this man I owe my life, as I 
was attacked last Spring and seriously 
injured by a dishorned bull, and a gentle 
one at that, and one that has not offered 
to attack anyone since. It was done in a 
spirit of play while he was out for water 
and exercise, and in an unguarded moment 
on my part, and had he had horns I would 
not possibly have escaped death. It is 
in the hope of warning some other man 
as I was warned that I write the above. 
It matters not what the value of the ani¬ 
mal is, or how beautiful his horns may be, 
human life is far too precious and bulls’ 
horns far too common to take any risks. 
I have never seen the slightest ill-effect 
from dishorning our bulls. Have used 
them for breeding in a few days after 
the operation and they have been as sure 
and as active as previously. 
Cayuga Co., N. Y. w. a. Alexander. 
DOGS AND SHEEP IN NEW YORK. 
Will you please give the law on shooting 
dogs caught chasing sheep? If I find a dog 
attacking my sheep have I not a right to 
shoot him? F. M. c. 
Plainfield, N. J. 
As I understand the law in New York 
State (it may be different in New Jer¬ 
sey), a man has a right to shoot a dog, 
if he finds it on his premises chasing the 
sheep. He has no legal right to shoot it 
other than in the act, even thought it 
may have chased and bitten them. He 
must then seek damage of the owner, if 
he is worth anything. With a fair-minded 
man, when the case is a clear one, this will 
sometimes be all right. Ordinarily it 
means a lawsuit and ill-feeling for years 
to come. Few men ever have a dog who 
bites sheep. In view of this fact (?) I 
have found it a wise thing to shoot the 
dog (if I could hit him) even if he was 
not right in the sheep. Then bury him 
quietly at the foot of an apple tree. The 
day of his death is better than that of his 
birth. Then go for the town for the re¬ 
compense. If there are funds on hand 
you will get your money, and probably not 
make one enemy, if you know enough to 
hold your tongue. My own county board 
of supervisors, at their last session, passed 
a law, the substance of which is that each 
dog must be registered with the town 
clerk by April 1, paying then a tax of $2, 
when the clerk issues him a tag, and a 
number which the dog must wear. This 
insures his paying the tax, and identifies 
him wherever found. Any dog unrecorded 
has no standing, and may be destroyed at 
will. Formerly not to exceed two-thirds 
of the dogs on the tax list ever paid any 
tax. No collector would bother to take 
and sell the dog for the tax. Consequent¬ 
ly most men who paid no property tax, 
paid no dog tax, although he might have 
more than one dog. This insures a larger 
fund, restricts and identifies the dog. Any 
board of supervisors in this State may 
enact a similar law. e. van alstyne. 
Heat Lost from Silo. 
II. A. O’D., Dalton, Pa ,—Can you tell me 
what is the cause of the heat going out of 
silo? It is airtight, and it freezes on top as 
fast as it is fed off. There is no heat at all. 
Ans.—I n all well constructed silos, 
where the silage keeps properly and the 
silo is well proportioned in its size to 
the number of animals being fed, there is 
very little heating of the silage after the 
early or first heating which is associated 
with the filling of the silo. The absence 
of heating, to which this correspondent 
refers, is one of the best indications that 
his silo is giving him good service, and 
that he is feeding it down at a sufficiently 
rapid rate. If the silo is not sufficientlv 
tight to exclude the air there will be con¬ 
tinuous heating; so too, if the area of the 
silo is too large in proportion to the num¬ 
ber of animals being fed, the silage will 
begin to heat at the surface, just as good 
silage always does heat if taken out of 
the silo and left in a loose pile on the 
feeding floor for two or three days. The 
only thing that can. be done, probably in 
his case, is to keep the silo openings 
closed as tightly as possible when the silo 
is not being used, or to spread something 
over the surface of the silage, which can 
be readily turned aside, like a canvas, or 
a thin layer of coarse hay, which can be 
readily piled on one side while removing 
silage. f. H. king. 
Packing Butter in Crocks. 
G. D. L., Rochester, N. Y .—Will you give 
me directions for keeping a crock of butter? 
Covered with salt on top It turns white or 
loses its color to a great extent. I have 
small quantites of butter at a time, and would 
like some other method. The butter is Jer¬ 
sey and freshly made, and I have packed it 
in solidly as possible. 
Ans. —In the bottom of the crock I put 
first about a pint of strong brine made 
from Ashton salt and pure well water; I 
do this to fill up any crevice that may occur 
HOMESTEAD IN NORTHERN NEW JERSEY. 
from improper or faulty packing, thus 
excluding all air, packing butter in crock 
as solidly and perfectly as I can, filling to 
within an inch from top. A piece of but¬ 
ter paper about one-quarter inch larger 
in circumference than inside of crock is 
placed over butter, carefully tucking down 
around the edges On top of this I put 
another circle of butter cloth; next I fill 
crock even full with a thick paste made 
from salt and water. Over this I stretch 
and tie down a heavy brown paper, place 
the crock in a small box covered and 
packed all around with salt, and set box 
on bottom of cool cellar. Opening crock 
about six months later, I found the but¬ 
ter sweet and good, but that freshness, 
that nutty flavor, was gone; the color, 
however, was as perfect as when put up. 
Ohio. _ J. H. B. 
NO PLACE LIKE HOME. 
I cannot find words to express my ap¬ 
preciation of your prize pictures, con¬ 
tained in your paper of December 23, and 
although each one is all that anyone 
could desire, yet I prize most No. 2, for if 
love isn’t the most essential thing in a 
home, then home isn’t what God intended 
it should be. More and more I believe 
home is in the heart, and I love the sim¬ 
ple home life best as shown in this pic¬ 
ture. One of the saddest things to me 
this side of Heaven is a homeless person. 
As the little child when asked what was 
the sweetest word replied, “Heaven, Home 
and Mother,” explaining that it was all 
one word, for Heaven was the sweetest 
word, and with a good home and mother 
there it was Heaven all the time, I have 
long since thought that a home without 
the luxuries of life is much better than 
the luxuries of life without a home. 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. mrs. j. v. beach. 
BUYING A 
CREAM SEPARATOR 
Thousands of dairy farmers are going to buy a Cream 
Separator this Spring. The purchase of a separator is a most 
important investment. Great care should be taken to make no 
mistake. 
No other farm investment is of equal importance to the 
cream separator. It makes or wastes money twice every day in 
the year, and it may last two or twenty years. 
There is easily a difference of from $50 to $150 per year 
between the benefits and savings of a De Laval machine and 
a poor one. A De Laval machine lasts at least twenty years with 
small cost for repairs, while other machines last from two to 
ten years and cost a great deal meanwhile. 
So far as advertisements and circulars are concerned, 
about as much is claimed “on paper” for poor machines as for 
the De Laval. Some of the biggest claims are made for the 
poorest and trashiest machines. 
If the buyer wishes to be guided by the best experience of 
others and the best of authority he must purchase a De Laval 
machine, and he can surely make no mistake in doing so. 
98% of the creameries of the world, which have been using 
Cream Separators for twenty-five years, now use De Laval 
machines. Almost every prominent dairy user does so. 700,- 
000 farmers scattered all over the world, or more than ten 
times all others combined, do so. Every important Exposition 
for twenty-five years, ending with St. Louis in 1904, has un¬ 
hesitatingly granted Highest Honors to the De Laval machines. 
But if from any imaginable reason the buyer wants to get 
his own experience or make his own choice then let him TRY 
as many machines as he pleases, but by all means TRY a De 
Laval before he reaches a conclusion and actually invests his 
money in any of them. 
There are De Laval agents in every locality whose business 
it is to supply machines in this way, and who are glad of the 
opportunity to do so. If you don't know the nearest agent send 
for his name and address. It will cost you nothing and it may 
save you a good deal. 
By all means don’t make the foolish mistake of sending 
your money in advance to some “mail order” concern and 
getting back a “scrub” separator not actually worth its weight 
in scrap-iron. If content to buy such a machine at least SEE 
and TRY it first before you part with any money. 
The De Laval Separator Co, 
Randolph & Canal Sts. 
CHICAGO 
1213 Filbkkt Street 
PHILADELPHIA 
9 & 11 Drumm St. 
SAN FRANCISCO 
General Offices: 
74 CORTLANDT STREET 
NEW YORK. 
109-113 Youville Squabb 
MONTREAL 
75 & 77 York Street 
TORONTO 
14 & 16 Princess Street 
WINNIPEG 
