Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 239, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 October 1917 — Tatooing Horses' Ears. [ARTICLE]

Tatooing Horses' Ears.

As a means of identifying horses and other animals, many breeders tattoo a number on the inside of the ear of each animal in their studs, flocks or herds, this number serving as an index to the record of Its pedigree. Figures which are to identify the animal are put in the slotted jaw of a punch made for the purpose, and after the jaws of the punch have been closed down on the ear India ink is rubbed into the punctures. When the skin heals over this ink the animal is marked for life. With some kinds of horses, such as Percherons and Suffolks, which often are all of one color, without distinguishing white marks, some such system of marking is essential to keep accurate records for registration. Applied to race horses and trotters, it prevents the substitution of one horse for another, or "ringing,” as it is called, and makes ft possible to identify animals with certainty wherever they are found. —New York Herald.