The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-11

1t is evident that the practice of dehorn.ng
beef cattle is increasing in popularity. That
the work should be done at the proper time
and in the proper manner is essential poth
with respect TO the comfort OF the animal and
the interests of TIE owner. The fact mas
been demonstrated that the operation can be
performed with little resulting gain to the
subject. The foolish notions previously pre-
vailing with reference to the humane consid-
erations involved have been supplanted by
the evidence that a much greater degree of
pain is prevented by dehorn!ng, inasmuch as
vicious animals thus deprived OF inflict-
ing injury by means of their sharp prongs
upon the more helpless in the herds. In the
market, too, dehcrned cattle are favored by
the buyers, to say nothing of the advantages
gained in the process Of shipment resulting
in fewer injuries to stock.
Touching upon the general subject The
Globe presents two letters, from an
Indiana correspondent of the Orange JUDD
Farmer, and the other from an Iowa cor
respondent of the Homestead. These are
printed below in the order named. w. w.
Stevens, of Indiana, says:
Very few OF our feeders handle cattle any
longer without dehorning. In fact it is the
only way that a large bunch of cattle can be
cared for in a satisfactory manner The best
breeders are adopting the polled breeds in
many cases and it looks as If it is now but
q question of time when horned animals Will
be bred out. The average farmer who pro-
duces the surplus grades that are bought Up
in spring and fall by grazers and feeders
seldom pays any attention to the matter OF
dehorning, negiecting 10 use few drops OF
liquid dehorner when the operation can be
performed easiest. cheapest and most hu-
namely, so that when they are punched up
together the first thing to be done is to get
rid of their horns.
No matter how vicious steer may be n
herd, when his horns are taken eff he becomes
quiet as a lamb and deh0rned he d Will
settle down at once and feed as quietly at
the rack or trough as flock Of sheep. TEeJ
not only feed and thrive bett-r, being thus
queted, but it is the best thing to do fr m
a humane standpoint, as some Of the herd
are being continually tortured and injur, by
forty head last season, and when fist PUT
into the barn they had their horns. mud it
being along in December and quite cod il
seemed a little risky to dehorn. l tried feed
ing for a time without dehorning, bat tle
steers were continually goring e-cn o hsr ana
some were seriously injured. The weAker
ones stood back and got very little fesd pre-
ferring to starve rather than take tn :ir
chances at the rack. Seeing that it WIS n
only remedy to get the hero IN snap, =
trouble ended at once. Much to my surprise
not a single animal was off its feed for a
single meal after the operation was peri -rm-
ed, and they began to improve at once.
Some few farmers are prepared to d5h IN
their own animals, but most of the wcrk Is
done by men who have had experience and
are especially prepared 10 do the work. They
have chute made coed and strong by franz
ing and boiling together timbers four inches
square. The chute is about feet long, OF
feet high and 2R feet wide. At one end there
is stout stanchion fixed to The frame, In
which an animal is held securely while the
work of dehOrning is being done. Then by
raising a couple of latcles the animal IS al
lowed to pass through the chu e and the
next one comes in for Ike treatment In this
manner the work goes on very rapidly, only
a few minutes being ncct ssary to make
''mu,ey" out of the Strongest and lsrg st In
the herd. The knife used in horntng should
cut the hcrn clean and clear wi bout cru h
ing. 1t is inhuman to use anything else.
cruel from the fact that the animal is founc-
ing and worrying so much more, and then
1t takes 50 much longer to perform the wo k.
In the absence of a properly arranged chute
ropes are sometimes ussd fer securing an
animal, but he is liable to get injur in the
tussle, and it is quite job TO bird eer
that is inclined to be wild and ungovsrna5,e.
Feeders will give few cents hundred
pounds more for cattle that have been de-
pers also prefer them, for the reason that
there are fewer bruises on them when taken
to market and the general result for
slaughtering and disposing of them is bet
ter. Packers give preference to dehorned
animals for the same reason. In shipping
steers with large. sharp horns, bruises and
bloodshot spots are not only found on many
of them in unloading, but hides dam
agel to a considerable extent we'll.
The feeder and handler of hornless cattle
feeding quietly and peacefully in their places,
but there is great satisfaction in knowing
that there is but little or no danger to be
feared in working among them.