Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-01-17
COWS WEAR GLASSES.
Remarkable Heard of Iyopfc Milk
Owned In Arkansas

Remarkable Heard of Myopic Milk
ers Owned In Arkansas
1t one were inclined to make pun
he would say that the cattle owned by
George Hepro and kept by him on his
farm near here are "spectacles." IT
would be true of them in one sense Of
the word, and to a certain extent, In
both senses, says Big Sandy (Ark.)
dispatch to the Baltimore Sun.
About twelve years ago Mr.. Hepro
was the owner of prize COW named
Arrydice, the best mich COW in this
part of the country-So excellent an
animal that he was offered S1,1OO for
her by the state agricultural college.
He would not sell her, even at this high
price. but not so long after he had re-
fused the offer he was sorry that he
had not done so, for the animal became
troubled with bad case of short sight
edness and feeble vision. She could
not see things well. even when they
were within two inches of her nose, and
nearly starved TO death in the pasture
before it was discovered that she could
rot see the grass we'll enough to eat it.
Mr.. Hepro's son, Montmorencie, is an
oculist in Little Rock, and, happening
to be home on visit at the time the
cows difficulty was realized, he sug
cested that he could make pair of
spectacles for her that would enable
her to see as well as ever. He was Civ
on the commission, with n promise of
500 IL they worked, and in very
short time he had fitted the high-priced
bossy out with an excellent pair of
bifocals that enabled her to Craze and
eat as well as ever with her head down
and to see distant objects as clearly
and distinctly as in the palmy days
when her head was lifted. She be-
came as valuable as ever, and the col
1ege renewed its offer, which was again
refused by the farmer. 1t soon devel-
oped, however, that the popularity Of
shortsightedness and feeble vision was
hereditary in her descendants to the
second and third generations, and in
aSmuch as her remarkable milking
qualities were hereditary also, Mr.. Hep
TO could not think of changing the herd.
He held onto it, and, while adding to
his bank account by means of the as
tonishing flow of milk that character
lied all of the Arrydice strain, he con
tinued to remedy their inherent visual
defects by the use of the same kind of
glasses that the noted ancestress of the
herd always wore.
These aids to the vision had to be
placed on the calves at an early age
and changed, both as to size and degree
of retroactive power, as the animals
grew older, whi-h latter change has
also to be made occasionally even after
the animals have reached maturity.
He now has herd of % of the won
derful myopic mixers, and it is
strange sight to see them roaming over
his extensive pastures, all fitted out
with large, strong, shining and eXpen-
sive bifocal glasses cows, calves
and alias solemn and serious looking
in appearance as an assemblage Of
Boston schoolmarms.
Mr.. Hepro claims that the wearing
of the glasses has a SOLDERING effect on
the animals, which is perfectly appar-
ent even in the young ones, and that
they never frisk about and play as 9th
er calves do. The cattle are very fond
of wearing the glasses and are very
careful, scarcely ever breaking them.