The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-11-17
THE s.HooKrae" cow.

Science informs US that all cattle
were originally hornless. How they
acquired these formidable weapons
was explained in recent number of
the Ame,ican Farmer and a very
curious process it was. But by a
strange fatality, cattle are destined
to lose their horns again, partly by a
natural law greatly assisted by an ar
tifcial device of men. The necessi-
ties of civilization and the exigencies
accompanying cattle in domestication
make horns nuisance. Buyers will
give more for hornless than for horn
ed cattle and hence the polled breeds
are increasing in popularity among
beef raisers. In fact, fixed prefer.
ence for polled cattle is spreading and
this has led to the development OF
the Polled Durhams, which are really
shorn1ess Shorthorns, the Po1led
Herefords and the Polled Albions.
Then there are the Angus, Galloway
and Red Polls, which have long been
popular in certain circles, and all the
indications point to the fact that the
days of the horned steer have passed.
Horns may be removed in early
calfhood by the use of caustic potash,
but this is somewhat tedious. They
may be removed in adult life by the
use of horn clippers, but this is really
barbarous practice. The best way
is to breed them off by establishing
hornless herds. This, as stated, has
already been done extensively and is
growing into a fixed method of breed
ing. tits little surprising, however.
that it is the beef breeds that so far
have obtained the benefits of this i'm
provement. Though there are six
hornless beef breeds, there are no
polled breeds distinctly devoted to
the dairy. Dairymen, indeed, often
dehorn their cows by artificial means,
but the business of breeding polled
animals for the dairy has been ne
elected. The Jerseys, Guernseys,
Holsteins and Ayrshires as rule
still sport the horns of their primeval
ancestors. If early dairy breeders,
however, had been as ente.prising as
they should have been, all these milk
producers would long ago have shed
the fighting weapons acquired in bar
barism. We should have had polled
dairy breeds and all persons who
have had anything to do with dali
ries, will readily admit that this would
be great boon.
The hooking" cow was always
regarded as the terror of the barn.
yard, not only to the other cows but
to the children and those who came
to milk her. No cow is quite domes-
ticated as long as she has horns.
They tempt her to fight just as carry
ing revolvers tempt men to shoot.
Take away the implements for in.
hicting injury and you reduce to the
minimum the warlike spirit in man
or beast. There should be no horns
in the dairy, any more than there
should be petulant mixers or care
less feeders. Good nature, kindness,
peace. are the supreme dairy virtues
and hence the sharp tongue as well
as the sharp horn should be elimi-
mated. The old ''muley cow" used to
be the laughing stock of the farm,
but she was the forerunner of what
was destined to be the general rule.
The COWS of the future will all be
"muleys." In every herd there is
one cow that is boss of the rest.
She loses no opportunity to hector
and worry the others, driving them
away from the feed and water and Of
ten injuring them seriously. This
imperious boss invariable has sharp
horns, we'll adapted to hooking"
and she relies on her armament to
play the bully, just as men often do.
In addition to this, injury is some-
times inflicted on attendants by nerv-
Gus cows finging their heads from
side to side and striking with the
horns. If they are hornless, of
course, this would not happen. So,
from every point of view, horns are
nuisance. Without them the COW
becomes docile and domestic. De-
prived of her weapons, she loses her
love of war and her value in every
way is increased. Dairymen will
welcome the day when the horny COW
has disappeared entirely and some en-
terprising breeder should lose no time
in evolving polled herd to be used
exclusively for dairy purposes
Americam Fa,mey.