FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 73, 22 April 1909, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

| THE DKHORXIXU yI'ESTIOX. Xow tluit the man with the dippers is making his annual round (says a writer in the Canadian Dairyman), the dehorning question again becomes a live one. YAhile the practice of dehorning is not as prevalent as formerly, especially among milch cows, yet there are in all probability to-day in the yards and stables ol" the farmers of this country, many milch cows that have shrunk in their milk How and lost in condition, as well as thousands of young cattle that have lost in flesh very seriously, owing to the ill-effects of this operation. That the practice of dehorning is desirable, except perhaps in the case of pure breeds, is to-duy a generally accepted fact by our dairymen and feeders. (•ranting this, the question arises, is there a satisfactory method of dehorning that will avoid the serious losses entailed by the ordinary process. The answer is decidedly, "Yes," by dehorning the young calves with caustic just as the horn is starting. We iind many writers condemning this practice. They say that calves dehorned in this way are when grown, "frequently very rough with their heads." Xow these men are simply accepting a common theory that, like many other theories, is found upon close examination to have' very little fact to sustain it. It lias been proven by many years' experience, that calves dehorned" with caustic do not develop the objectionable trait referred to. There are herds of dairy cattle in this country that have never grown a horn, and yet are just as quiet and peaceable as could be wished; and these cows were all dehorned with caustic when they were young calves. !n>' much for thcorv.

Then again, these writers say; "They prefer dehorning with the clippers, because once having known the use of horns, they liecomc more docile to lose them in this way." To follow the same line of argument, I suppose they would say, "Don't bother with your young colts until you want to use them, and then break them by force, tliey will have to be conquered then, ami that will make them more docile." The argument is altogether fallacious, in one case as in the otluf. and does not argue a high conception of either dairying or horsemanship. Stub docility is'the docility of fear, and fear has no place in attaining the highest success in eitiicr industry.

Let our dairymen 'experiment for themselves along' Hie line of dehorning their young en Ives, anil very lew ot them will mint to return to the needless!v ernel and wasteful metliod "f cutting olf the horns that never should have lieen allowed to gro'w.