Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-21
TO PIERCE HORSES EARS
Plan to Provide District Animals With
EARRINGS for Identification.

1T will be no more cruel than the piercing
of milady's ears for earrings"
This, in effect. and almost literally. was
the report of the District veterinary on the
alleged painlessnAss of puncturing the ears
of horses. AS result the five hundred and
more animals belonging to the various de-
partments OF the local government may
soon be adorned with small metal buttons
fastened into the flesh of each right ear.
1t has not been claimed that the spirited
horses of the fire department will prance
yet more proudly on account OF such taw-
dry decoration, or that the staid plodder at
tached to street sweeper will bend to her
task with mincing steps. plainly indicating
her pride at possessing an earring. but 1t is
said that the operation of clamping in the
rings can be done very quickly and that the
animals will not mind it. District Veteri-
nary Robinson is supported in the conten-
ton by Superintendent Beale of the engl,
neer department stables, but there is indi-
cation of a division of opinion among the
Commissioners, with whom, of course, final
decision rests as to the means to be adopted.
To explain the matter more fully, it might
be said that in all previous time the Dis
trict has had considerable trouble in keep
ing accurate record of the horses purchased
and used in the police department the
street cleaning department and other
long experience in the property clerks office
the present chief of that Office, Mr.. Har-
grove, frequently noted that fact and soon
after he assumed control of the department
last month he determined that system
of numbering all horses owned by the Dis
trict should be inaugurated. Preparations
looking to that end have now almost been
completed and henceforth 1t will be possible
almost at a glance to learn the age, former
owner and record of each horse. With the
scheme practically adopted the one remain
Ing problem put before the property clerk
was the devising of some plan whereby the
number might permanently be attached to
each horse. One method suggested was that
the number be fastened on every bride, and
the brides never changed Another was
that the numeral assigned to each horse be
burned in an inconspicuous place into its
hoof. Then came the suggestion of the
patent buttons, or earrings. An objection
made to the numbering of brides was that
1t would be just easy as of yore for a
careless stable hand to cause confusion by
mixing harness Concerning the branding
of hoofs, 1t was pointed out that the marks
would grow out, so that the operations
would have to be repeated. In favor of the
ear-buttons, or rings, 1t was obvious that
once In place a horses number could never,
by accident or design, be lost-but, as stat
ed, the scheme to be adopted has not yet
been decided
The ear-button or ring, is a patent affair
about three-quarters of an inch in diameter
One face is fiat while the other is stamped
with the manufacturers name or the name
of the individual or corporation owning the
horse, and in the center the number. A
long nvet of soft metal is fastened to one
button and runs through a hole in the other,
go that when forced together a solid union
will result. From an examination of a sam
pie button, seen on the property clerks
desk. 1t would seem that puncture about
the size of an ordinary lead pencil would be
necessary in the ear of each horse.