Holbrook argus., 1900-05-12

 horned or not, but a question of when and how 10 do 1t.
 The old original method of de- horning was by the use of the saw. It is still advocated by some and has the advantage of taking off the horn where other means sometimes fail. Clippers designed for the pur- pose are more convenient and as rule are more efficient. In the case of old animals not only do the horns themselves become very hard but the so called pith assumes bony character such that it is sometimes impossible to cut wit h the clippers, in such cases the use of the saw must be resorted to. The mistake of saving off the horns some dis tance from the head is sometimes made, the idea Eeing that it is less i painful to the animal than taking : them off close. Not only is the oper- ation no less painful but the remain ing hubs detract from the appear ance of the animal and sometimes grow, thus defeating the object of dehorning. Whether the saw or clippers are used the horns should come off close to the skull, always below the line where the skin grows about the base of the horn. There is sometimes considerable loss of blood which may be lessened or en- tirely stopped by simple method of "tying the arteries" These ar teries lie mostly on the side of the horn toward the ear so that by drawing a string tightly around both horns and tying, pressure is brought to bear on the blood vessels and the flow of blood is stopped. After the string has been tied the pressure may be increased by bring ing the front and back strands to- get her over the top of the head and fastenin g them. In some cases cut ting the horn close to the head makes an opening into a cavity of i the skull. In such cases it is we'll to put little lnedicated cotton over the opening to keep out flies and dirt. Should the animal in a day or two give evidence Of pain by shak- ing its head an opening should be made in the cotton to allow the es- cape of matter which is sometimes formed inside. When a saw is used it is almost necessary to havo chute in order to properly hold the animal during the operation. If clip pers are used the use of a chute will save time but it is not necessary. While the horns of young animals are more easily cut than those of old ones the operation is more pain full and usually accompanied by a greater loss of blood on account of their being more sensitive tissue and a greater supply of blood vessels in the soft growing horn.
 The best time to dehorn cattle is when they are calves, and the young CT they are, the better. Some will not agree with this statement, be- lieviug that animals that never have horns retain their desire to fight and simply buut instead of hook. Bur ing the first few days of the calf's life the horns to be are simply but tons that are not attached in any way to the skull. They may then be removed by the use of sharp knife, or by clippers made for the purpose, with very little pain to the : calf and little or no loss of blood. ; Various chemicals and commercial : dehorning fluids have been used for the destruction of the young horns. l In the use of liquid preparations the greatest of care should be exer- cised to prevent the spread of the , fluid. The rse of caustic potash is : perhaps the most to be recommend : ed, it being cheap, easily applied and efficient. It comes in form of sticks which for the protection of the fingers should be wrapped in paper when handled. A stick cost : ing ten cents will dehorn ten or q dozen calves. The hair should be = l. q kI.., .l-