MAILBAG
Tail docking is ‘cruel and unnecessary’
S
ir ~ I recently saw a
horse with a surgically
docked tail, ie, the last
tail bones had been cut off so
that the tail hair could not
grow very long. Surely this is
cruel and unnecessary? What
does the poor animal do
when badly pestered by flies?
Jean Young
Three Rivers
This is an outmoded practice
which is illegal in many
countries. It was, however,
common in the 18th and
19th Centuries in Europe and
Great Britain, where hunters
had their tails docked,
presumably to prevent a
the tail moves.
build-up of mud while out in ~ Editor
the field.
As you rightly point out,
however, it deprives the horse
of its effective rear-end flyswatter, and also affects its
balance: next time you see a
horse jumping, observe how
Cherry tomatoes in a biltong dryer
S
ir ~ Thank you so much
for the article on drying
tomatoes in your March
edition.
I would never have thought of
doing that, but I tried it with
an oversupply of cherry
tomatoes and am very pleased
with the results.
Keep up the good work - we
look forward to your magazine every month!
Margaret (name supplied)
Muldersdrift
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www.sasmallholder.co.za
Cherry tomatoes drying