CASTRATION OF THE COW 
457 
ing the bull,” or what he calls “ Taurelieres ” (cows that are con¬ 
tinually in rut, and take the bull, but are sterile). Sometimes 
yellow bodies are developed in the substance of one of the ovaries, 
attaining a size that would readily deceive the operator, who, ex¬ 
tirpating one, might think it to be the ovary, and thus fail to 
complete the operation. It comes away very easily, generally by 
the pressure of the fingers in grasping the ovary to bring it into 
the vaginal cavity. 
I previously mentioned the degenerated condition of the 
ovarian cord and ligaments that sometimes occur in old cows, and 
the precautions to be taken when such is suspected. I must now 
conclude these observations on the care required during the oper¬ 
ation, with a warning of the necessity of extracting the whole of 
the ovary; for the smallest particle of that organ left attached 
to the ovarian nerves and vessels is sufficient to regenerate, to a 
certain extent, the ovary, which will then secrete new ovules and 
thus render the operation useless. 
Cares to be observed after the operation .—Gourdon recommends 
a moderate diet for two or three days. Commencing with the 
fourth day, increase the diet gradually, until the former rations 
are reached. Keep the animals from all drafts and changes of 
temperature. If at pasture, they must be stabled for ten days 
following the operation, fed with green food, and given water 
with the chill taken off. If the weather should be fine, they might 
be let out for a little while each day, and towards convalescence 
all day, but returned to the stable at night. Unfortunately, these 
precautions cannot be practised on the Western cattle ranches. 
Much, no doubt, may be done towards saving a cow by the aid 
of medical treatment, when such is possible, and thus further 
lower the chances of mortality from the operation. 
In conclusion, I would state that I see no reason why ovario¬ 
tomy cannot be performed on cows in this country with as good 
results as have attended the operation in France. I consider that 
my experiments, although carried on under very unfavorable cir¬ 
cumstances, and attended with a large mortality as a whole, were, 
to a certain extent, a success. They certainly proved that, even 
on our cattle ranches in the west, the operation may be performed 
