The polled or hornless cattle are great favorites with some of the
Western people, and an effort is made to get up a boom on them. But
they not only lack in numbers, but in the essential quality of a large
flow of milk, or of a very rich one. The best information we can get
does not indicate usefulness for the dairy. Neither do they excel
several of the other breeds for beef. Their chief recommend appears to
be their destitution of horns, which in our eye is far from a mark of
beauty. It gives them a sort of bald, unfinished look that is anything
but pleasing. We prefer, for looks, short, well-turned horns. But of
course, without horns there is no hooking, but pushing is by no means
avoided. Besides, in some cases we have known a lack of horns to make
it difficult to fasten the animals in stanchions or with ropes. This
may not be true of the cows; but we were cognizant of an instance on
the New York State Fair grounds where a polled bull was constantly
getting loose. His neck was so thick that he could slip his head
through any place not tight enough to choke him. As to disposition, we
presume the lack of horns would not make the bulls any more amiable.
However, we have nothing to say against this kind of stock, and would
advise all who like them to keep them. If horns are objectionable, it
is easy to prevent them from growing on any stock by removing the first
appearance of them on the calf. This can be done without much pain to
the calf and without much trouble to one who knows how to do it. It, as
we understand, requires no great skill, and can hardly be said to come
under the head of cruelty to animals. It is nothing like as painful as
castration.