Last night I was chatting with a friend about new ideas for merch and mentioned the tote bag I made with the phrase “Do You Still Have Spare Tails for Cows” from one of the more popular letters.
I realized I had never actually checked to see if there was such a thing.
Well, I couldn’t resist so I spent some time after dinner poking around online.
I didn’t grow up on a farm but I did go to The Putney School which has a farm on it. So I knew enough to know that a cow’s tail is also called a switch.
It didn’t take long until I found myself not just one but several Spare Tails for Cows!
It appears the purpose is more for showing the cattle than the practical use of swatting flies.
I also found this forum which goes into excruciating detail about DIY options.
Be warned some of the descriptions will certainly gross some people out.
http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/the-big-show/replacing-a-switch/
Just think if there had been forums like this back in the 1930s there would have been no reason for the letter to be written. I wonder if they used one of the DIY methods for that cow.