104 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



if a liorse's foot is kept in proper condition. My way of 

 shoeing is to get a level bearing on the horse's foot, and keep 

 the frog on the ground ; never have any heel or toe calk, 

 except when it is absolutely necessary in winter. The last 

 winter, I rode my saddle mare (and of course my neck is worth 

 more to me than any thing else I own) on glare ice, with a 

 small bit of iron, about four inches long, curled around her toe, 

 and with a very small toe-calk. I recollect galloping out on 

 the ice, where the men were at work cutting the ice, and I had 

 no fear of her slipping, although the horse that was marking 

 the ice, that had calks on two inches high, did slip. I am 

 sorry that I am not more used to speaking : perhaps I could 

 explain myself better. But I am willing to answer any 

 questions. 



Question. Do you practise paring off the bottom of the 

 hoof before putting the shoe on ? 



Mr. BowDiTCH. No. One great thing is to take off as 

 little as possible. You merely want to cut a little bit off of 

 the edge where your shoe is going ; so that, when you have 

 got your iron on, the frog will be sure to come down, and 

 take the jar on the foot. No matter if there is a large flake 

 which stands off : leave it there, for it may save the horse 

 from getting hurt when going down hill. There may be a 

 piece of iron in the road (a nut, as happened in one case to 

 myself), and, if the horse steps on that, it may lame him. 

 That flake is dead : it is worn off on the road, and sometimes 

 drops off in the road or in the stable. 



Question. Do you have the shoes put on red-hot, as the 

 doctor does ? 



Mr. BowDiTCH. I like to have my blacksmith put the 

 shoe on as hot as he can bear it in his hand. 



Question. Do you touch the frog at all ? 



Mr. BowDiTCH. I never touch the frog in any way, no 

 matter how ragged it may be. 



Question. Or the bar ? 



Mr. Bowditch. Never, except that the bar may work 

 down so that it will strike before your shoe : in that case, 

 shave it off a little. 



Mr. Johnson of Framingham. In case of a horse whose 

 frog was shrunk up into the foot, have you ever known a 

 frog-bearing to fail to benefit him ? 



