Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-07-29
THE HERALD.
Ascertaining the Age of Animals.


shape of the nippers, in the following
way: At eight years the nippers are
all oval; the length of the oval run,
ming across from tooth TO tooth. As
the horse increases in age, the teeth
diminish in size, become little sep
arated from each other, and their
surfaces are little rounded. AT
nine years of age the central pair OF
nippers are rounded; at ten the
others begin to have the oval short
ened; at eleven the second pair OF
nippers are quite round; at thirteen
the corner ones are ronded at four
teen the focus Of the central nippers
become triangular; at seventeen all
the nippers are triangular; at nineteen
the angles are worn off, and the Gen.
trial nippers are again oval, but in a
reversed direction, or from outward
to inward; at twenty-one they are
all oval iu the same direction as first
mentioned.
In horned cattle the age is more
apparent and readily discovered by
marks on the horns than by The
wearing down and succession Of the
teeth. The horns of the COW grows
uniformly for the first three years
and consequently no ring or wrinkle
is apparent; but after that period each
succeeding year adds ring to the
root of the horn, SO that the age OF
the animal is found by counting the
first as four, and adding the other
rings thereto. La hornless cattle the
age must be determined by the state
of the teeth, of which there are
thirty-two ia the mouth of full
grown ox-eight incisors in the
lower jaw and six molars in each jaw
above and below.
In the mouth of the now born cal
sometimes there are no teeth visible
but generally the two central incisors
will be breaking through the gums
About the close Of the second week
four incisors will be seen, and il
three weeks the number will be in.
creased to six. When the calf is q
month old the full number of incisors
(eighD will have appeared.
The edges of these temporary OF
milk teeth are very sharp, and the
wearing down of these sharp edges
is an indication of incre asing age
At two months the edge of the -four
central teeth will be much worn; al
three months the SIX central teeth
and at the four months the whole
number of the milk teeth will bt
much woro, the central ones more
so than the rest After the age
of four months change begins
to take place in the mouth; tht
central teeth becomes gradually
diminished, and this process goes
on gradually until, at the agt
Of fifteen months, the whole o
milk teeth are diminished in size, acc
stand nsiderably apart from each
other. While the milk teeth are
diminishing tho permanent teeth are
growing and approaching the gums
and at about the age of eighteen
months the two central milk teeth
drop out, and two permanent teeth
appear. At two years old the mouth
presents four permanent inclsors anC
four milk teeth; at three years ole
the mouth contains six permancnt
incisors and two milk teeth.
At four years the eight permsnen'
incisors will be up, but the two out
side ones will be smaller than the
rest. At five years oil the eigh'
permanent incisors are fully grown
and are all little fiattened at the top
and the two centlai ones show {
dark line or mark in the middle
From this age the condition Of the
teeth will depend considerably upor
the way in which the animal is fed
generous and substantial feeding at
an early age having a special influ
enco in creating early dentitlon.
Of all the bovine race, the Short
Horns are unquestionably the mos
remarkable for precocity Of develop
y.
Durham breed get their permanent
teeth in the fourth year, and some
times instances are seen whore th(
whole Of the permanent toeth appear
at the age Of three years. NJ Masse
q French breeder of cattle, owned t
Durham bull which had all his per-
manent teeth at the age of two year,
and ten months.
As q general rule, which of course
admits of many exceptions, at sever
years the mark or line on the face O.
the teeth is growing broad and irreg
ular, and second and still broader
mark is appearing within the first
one. AT the age OF eight this circu
lar mark has spread over the six cen.
trial incisors AT eight years the
two central incisors appear smaller
than the rest; at ten the four central
incisors are diminished; at eleven the
six central incisors are diminished
and at twelve all the incisors are
diminished, and the mark is worn
out of all except the corner t, eth.
HOUSEKEEPING hastens the fall Of
the temporary and the issue of the
permanent tooth. The calf at the
time of birth generally has two, and
sometimes three molar teeth in each
jaw, above and below. The fourth
molar appears at the age of eight
months, and the fifth at the end of
the year, at which time the first mo
lar is shed. At the end of the sixth
year there are six permanent molars
in each jaw.
The sheep has thirty-two tooth
eight incisOrs or cutting teeth in
front of the lower jaw, and six molars
or grinders on each side in the
upper and lower jaw. When born,
the lamb has generally two Incisor
teeth visible. At the age Of one
month eight incisors are to be seen.
At the age of twelve TO fifteen
months the two central milk teeth
are shed, and replaced by two broad