316 
F. S. BILLINGS. 
ft--- 
weeks, or more. From this period the castrated cows held their own 
with the non-castrated, and when devoted to fattening, they fattened 
well, but in no way better than the non-castrated. These observations 
exactly correspond with those I made in the 60th decen, and if they 
stand opposed to the communications of other observers, it appears to 
me as if they credited to the operation what should be credited to the 
feeding account. I also took especial pains to satisfy myself with re¬ 
gard to the flesh, qualitively, and found that the flesh of the castrated 
in no way excelled that of the non-castrated, but I will remark that the 
animals had in both cases attained considerable age. We often find it 
reported that the flesh of castrated cows resembled that of young oxen, 
and the laying on of fat was very remarkable, again very insignificant, 
results which it would appear are very dependent upon the age of the 
animals in question. The influence which castration exerts upon male 
animals in regard to fattening and flesh quality, is decidedly not the 
case by females. 
b. With regard to the secretion of milk. If we study the milk 
table, we observe that by all the castrated animals a more or less im¬ 
portant minus in the milk quantum took place for a long time—by some 
it continued forever, then for some months it equaled or approximated 
the yield previous to the operation, and finally it frequently happened 
that a rapid decrease in the quantum took place. Only a few of the 
animals, Nos. 2, 3, 5, 13, 15 and 21, show an increase for a short time. 
If the assertions of Charlier and others, that the castrated animals con¬ 
tinue for a year or more to give the same quantum of milk that they 
had given at the time of castration, is an exaggeration, yes, as decidedly 
false. Proof—the milk table. Yet we cannot deny that the castration 
is not without influence by different animals in this regard, the lactation 
period is lengthened. It is a rarity that good animals give great quan¬ 
tities of milk for more than 10 or 12 months at a time, yet the influ¬ 
ences of castration are so insignificant in this regard, that the plus in 
milk scarcely covers the decrease which was consequential on the 
operation, to say nothing of the cost of the operation, the casualties 
which may occur—that it doe-s not give much encouragement to the 
popularity of the operation. The milk is qualitively affected by the 
operation, as Ercolini and Marchand have asserted, and Dr. Dietrich 
has shown by analysis of the milk from the animals I castrated, that the 
fat and casein elements were increased, but for this small advantage no 
thinking breeder or owner would think of assuming the other risks of 
the operation. 
