296 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



art is not known. On our western prairies, there is but little 

 or no need of shoeing. But among us, where the soil is 

 gravelly and hard, shoeing must be practised, and it may be 

 done without injury to the feet. When, however, it is improp- 

 erly executed, it is productive of more evil than is generally 

 supposed. Among these evils are contraction, inflammation, 

 founders, sprains, ring-bone, stumbling or tripping, over-reach- 

 ing, and sprung-knees ; any one of which renders the horse less 

 valuable and sometimes dangerous to the rider. I do not 

 mean to affirm that these evils are always brought about by 

 bad shoeing, but that they are oftener than is supposed. The 

 smith pretends that he has done all that can be done to give 

 relief to the animal or to remedy the evil. The owner does 

 not pretend to know any thing about the matter. But experi- 

 ence soon teaches that some further method must be adopted 

 to help the trouble. But what to do next is the question in 

 the mind of the smith. He blunders perhaps on another plan, 

 and with like success. All the while the horse is growing 

 worse and losing his flesh, and the owner his work, when if the 

 smith had known at first the proper treatment and how to 

 apply it, both animal and owner might have been saved much 

 pain and expense. 



No class of mechanics need a more careful education for 

 their calling than smiths or farriers ; but, as a general thing, it 

 is the most neglected. The son of the wealthy farmer is sent 

 to school and soon looks higher than a smutty blacksmith's 

 shop. But the poor boy is driven there to gain a livelihood, 

 and if he wishes to learn the trade and become some day his 

 own master, he is obliged to learn it of one who knows but little 

 himself on the subject. We sometimes hear people complain 

 of the English laws in regard to apprenticeship — six or seven 

 years to learn to shoe a horse is too long, say they. Now 

 for my part, I would willingly have a son of mine serve that 

 time to learn this important and difficult trade. But when 

 we take into consideration that many of our smiths shoe 

 horses and oxen, iron wagons and other carriages, and in 

 addition make horse nails, which in England is a trade of 

 itself, we have an array of trades combined, that it would 

 take the best part of a lifetime to learn. The wonder is, 

 that we arc able to do so many different kinds of work, 



