Though I did not intend to say any thing about horned cattle, it may
not, perhaps, be amiss to relate what I have experienced and been
eye-witness to, in the state of Louisiana, concerning the gentling of
young cows, since I discovered the secret of breaking horses in a few
hours. Whenever I have had a heifer or young cow to gentle, (it must be
observed, that they are much wilder here than in the northern states,) I
have made it a practice to have them tied by the horns to a post, and
have made a servant begin to handle them well all over, speaking to them
uninterruptedly; and this he did for two or three mornings, before
milking them, always finishing by giving them a little salt. At the end
of three or four days, they never failed of becoming gentle, and could
be milked without being tied. Though I have seen by experience, that
horned cattle, especially bulls, are much less sensible to the touch
than horses, a part of which may possibly be owing to the thickness of
their skin, yet even with them I have done much. Let any one who will,
do more.