Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1905-08-03


carefully for any signs of ailment, but
as they continued to do we'll, ] turned
them out into a pasture which had
been fenced with six feet of stout WOW
en-wire fencing, on purpose for them.
They ate a considerable quantity of
grass, but came to me readily when /
appeared with the milk bottles. They
we're so tame by this time, that they
would allow me to sit astride their
backs as they took their food. In or
der to see if they would suck The
COW, took her into the same pasture
with them. They were quite willing,
but the old COW, who had parted with
her calf some time before, would have
nothing to do with them.
Soon after this, got two patent calf
feeders, one with the nipple hanging
below, and the other with the nipple
at the end of horizontal rod. 1t did
not take the calves three minutes to
learn what these were for, and they
would take their food from either
feeder impartially.
Thus encouraged, telephoned to
Morrison that l was ready for the 9th
er two calves, and the next day drove
across Croydon mountain, to help to
catch them. l selected a little heifer
calf two weeks old, and a frisky little
bull only ten days old. We were more
experienced now, and captured these
two with a deal less trouble and dan
ger than had attended our first at
tempt. They arrived at Sunsit Ridge
that night, and the tanning of the sec
ond installment began.
After they had become fairly calm,
and would allow me to approach, with
out butting or dashing themselves
against the walls of the pen, l decid-
ed to let them out of the barn into
small pasture adjoining the one in
which the other calves were kept. I'm
fortunately, this enclosure had not
been made with the consideration for
the pecuharities of buffalo calves, and
the result was a serious accident.
The pasture consisted of two open
spaces connected by a narrow strip of
after the calves had been put into it,
went out with bottle of milk to feed
them as usual. l approached them
along the narrow strip spoken of
above, and the little heifer, in a mo-
ment of nervousness, slipped past me.
Now, there is, in buffaloes of all ages,
very strong tendency to stick to-
gether, and seldom is buffalo content
ed If separated from his companions.
Where others of his kind are there he
will go if it is possible to reach them.
This tendency at once exerted itself
in the young bull and he made a furi-
GUS dash past me in order to rejoin
the heifer But, in passing, he tried
to swing too wide, and in doing so,
dashed into a fence post, and fell
stunned almost at my feet. In a mo-
ment he recovered and leaped to his
feet, striking out vigorously with his
hind hoofs, and 1 thought he had sim
ply had a narrow escape. But alas, as
he turned, | saw his right fore leg
swinging loose, and knew that he
had broken it above the knee. In two
minutes / had telephoned for men to
come and help me to catch him, and
in three I had a man off to town to get
surgeon.
We caught the calf, and put him in
to crate, and that night, while three
Of us held him, the surgeon and an
assistant set the broken limb in plas-
ter. And then / made a big mistake.
ordered the animal put in a sling, as
a domestic calf would have been treat
ed had 1t been considered worth the
trouble. But the buffalo calf, wild as
hawk, could not brook the restraint,
struggled and worried himself into
fever and died. Had he been liberated
as soon as his leg was set, | believe
he would have come out OF his trouble
AL right.
ERNEST HAROLD BAYNEs.