The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-03-16
DOCKING HIS TAIL.
MAKING NoBBY CARRIAGE HORSES 81
THE NEW OPERATION.

and, it is claimed, more humane way.
The work is done by specialists, who
call at the stables to perform the opera
ton. Like dentists, who dull the pains
of teeth extracting by seating the VIC
Tins on luxurious plush chairs, modern
farTiers try to make their patients COM
Portable during the tail clipping. STILL
despite these we'll meant efforts, dock
ing is painful But stablemen all say II
is not as painful as tooth pulling.
In the present case farrier was sum
moned to perform the operation. He ar
rived at the stable, carrying his outfis
in o canvas bag, like sailors kit Aft.
err asking the coachman if the people
present were "all right, 5" the farrier
carefully bolted and locked the doora
and windows opening into the street
and the back yard.
excuse me, gents, said the farri@
briskly as he fastened the last window
"but I have to be on my guard Only
last week a bloke jumped me over a
back fence, and that cost me 500, that
did"
One of the back windows was Left
open from the top, although the shut
tiers were closed, so that the draft would
carry off the fumes of small charcoal
furnace, such as plumbers use, that the
farrier started up. This was to bring
the cauterizing irons to a white heat
The horse was then led into an end
stall and fastened by an ordinary head
stall to the mangeE, which was filled
with oats. A piece az stout canvas, sup.
ported by a wooden framework pre-
viously built up in the stall, was swung
under the horses body. On one side this
canvas hammock was secured by i'm
movable fastenings, but on the other
side the fastening ropes were tied to
pulleys, so the horse could be raised up
in the hammock.
Some stout wooden rails were built
up to make a fence behind and almost
touching his hind legs The tail was
laid across the top rail and strap put
over it. The hammock was then raised
up until the horse was almost on his
toe tips. Trussed in this way the horse
could not kick or move his body or tail.
Now the actual operation began. The
ooachman tied a stout string around the
tail at the place the incision was to be
made and gathered up the long strands
of hair that fell over it into coil and
fastened it back with string, so as to
expose the skin of the tail vertebra. He
then took firm hold on the lower end
of the tail, and the farrier began work.
The old fashioned docking shears with
which the tail used to be divided are
now out of use. The operation was done
with surgeon s amputating knife. The
farrier poised the sharp edged lance over
the vertebr@, and with short, deft
strokes, welding the knife with steady
hand, he cut through the flesh and car
tilage, quickly severing the tail.
There was no flow of blood, the string
tied above the cut checking the hemor-
rhage While the farrier brought an
iron at white heat from the furnace the
ooachman clipped bunch of hairs from
the severed end. He covered the raw
cut thiokly with the hairs, and then the
cauterizing iron was pressed against the
flesh. A sickening odor of burning hair
and flesh arose at once, making the air
of the closed up stable almost suffocat.
ing. This was the end of the operation,
Both the cutting and the burning had
been done inside of 60 seconds.
As preoaution the horse had not been
fed that morning, and he began raven
ously munching at the oats as soon as
he was tied to the Manager. During tho
cutting the horse did not quit eating,
but he shook his head, and the body
quivered when the iron burned the flesh.
At this time, too, the horse gave shril5
neigh of pain, and but for the support.
ing hammock he might have fallen, for
he tried to crouch down in the stall. As
soon as the iron was removed the pain
must have vanished, for the horse i'm
mediately began at the oats again and
seemed at ease. By this improved meth
cd the operation is less cruel than under
the old style of amputation.
The farrier's fear of detection was due
to the vigilance of the Society For the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which
offers standing reward of 500 to any
one who will report case Of docking
at its,offioes and give the evidence neces-
sary to convict the offenders, New
York World.
The Women's Cooperative Guild OF
England may well stimulate American
women favoring cooperation to like eff
fort. The organization has been in exist
ence only few years, but has accom-
plished wonderful work. At its recent
annual meeting over 800 delegates were
in attendance. Its branches number 10;
its members, Z, 511. Ithas secured short
er hours for employees at Bristol, pro-
viding 81 courses of nursing, health,
cookery, etc., besides singing and phys
ical exercises, classes, clothing clubs
and excursions. The laws relating to in
dustries are discussed at their meetings.
They are in fraternal relations with the
Woman's Trade Union association, the
woman suffrage societies and other edu-
oational and reform movements
Notice.
Tho rao,,lar annual y,,ootipo of Tho