1 Ocr. 1902.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. ABB} 
Agriculture. 
FIRST STEPS IN AGRICULTURE. 
127n Lesson. 
THIRD STAGE, 
By A. J. BOYD. 
Having now shown you how to start your herd, and how to manage and 
treat your cows and calves, there is little more that [ can tell you in these short 
lessons. Still, you may as well learn how to prevent the growth of horns. 
Horns were given to cattle originally for the purpose of defending themselves 
from the attacks of wild beasts, and of course were very useful to such 
naturally peaceful animals as cows, deer, sheep, goats, &c. But since man has 
domesticated these animals and protects them from former dangers which 
threatened them when in a wild state, the horns are of little use, but are a 
source of danger to each other and to man. It has been clearly proved that 
_ cattle deprived of these weapons are far more docile than those which still 
retain them. ‘The advantages of DEHORNING, as it is called, are :— 
1. It renders horned animals more tractable and. peaceable. 
2. Jt prevents their injuring each other. 
3. It enables the breeder to put more cattle in a truck for a railway 
journey, and does away with much injury and suffering during the 
transit. 
Now, how are the horns to be removed? If you allow the animals to 
retain them until they are full-grown, a powerful cutting instrument is needed 
to cut them off. ‘The operation is certainly very quickly performed, and, what- 
ever people may say about the painlessness of it, it cannot be but that 
momentary extreme pain must result. There is a method, however, of pre- 
venting the growth of horns in the young calves which, if carefully done, is 
absolutely painless, yet perfectly effective. It is this :— 
When the calf is not more than three weeks old, cut away with a pair of . 
shears or scissors all the hair from the young horn, making a clear space of 
about the size of a sixpence. You should have ready a small bottle containing 
a saturated solution of caustic potash, which you can buy cheaply from any 
chemist. By a saturated solution is meant as much potash as the water can 
contain without any sediment showing. As soon asany of the potash goes to the 
bottom, the saturated solution is ready. Add no more. Now, in using this to 
dehoru calves, there is danger, unless great care is used, of injuring the animal’s 
eyes. ‘To avoid this, take some black oxide of manganese, a very cheap chemical. 
Fill a phial about half-full of the oxide, then fill up with the solution of caustic 
otash. Next, with an indiarubber stopper, the end of which is cut in diamonds 
tke an old rubber boot sole, rub the mixture in on the young horn until the 
appearance of redness is produced. The result will be that the horns will never 
grow. Now that is simple. easy, and cheap, and you save your stock from a 
great deal of suffering in after life, besides saving yourself trouble at milking 
time. t 
So much for dehorning. 
The next thing is the Luberculin Test. 
Cattle suffer from a disease called Tupercutosts justas human beings suffer 
from. consumption. Most, if not all, animals are subject to this terrible disease. 
But it can be cured if taken in time. When dairy cows suffer from it, so long 
as it does not affect the udder, there will not be found any germs of tuber- 
culosis in the milk supply. You can even raise a healthy herd from diseased 
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