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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



would be far out-weighed by tho loss he miizht sustain 

 in the lower production of his soil. The question of 

 first economy is not the all-important one which it 

 seems to be to many ; the first consideration is, or at all 

 events ought to be, what kmcl of work do we require; 

 and this being decided on, the cheapest instrument in 

 the end is that which does the work best. A cotton 

 manufacturer could much more cheaply prepare his 

 material in a half way, but he thinks it best 

 and wisest to do it wholly, even although this demands 

 costlier mechanism and greater power. Half-work 

 can in nowise be called work, which to be work must 

 be complete, wholly finished ; or else it is a mere ap- 

 proach to a beginning only, of the task to be performed. 



^^'hether such whole work will pay, may be and is dis- 

 puted ; but to our mind, if half-work is worth doing, 

 it must be infinitely better to do whole work. What is 

 worth doing at all, is worth doing thoroughly. We 

 have no difficulty in remembering numerous instances 

 in agricultural science where nothing but ruin was pro- 

 phesied to those who were determined to do complete 

 work, no matter at what cost; and the result of whose 

 labours has, nevertheless, been gi-eat gain. Without 

 being invidious we may refer to the successful labours 

 of the Marquis of Tweeddale in raising to an enormous 

 extent the value of land, through his doing complete 

 work in the way of cultivation, at a cost which seemed 

 to manv to be little else than ruinous. 



LAMENESS IN HORSES, 



BY W. PIEKCE V. S., RAVENNA, OHIO. 



Why are so many horses lame ? This question every 

 practitioner is frequently asked. Lameness is becoming so 

 common that we can scarcely find a horse that is not either 

 lame, or if he is not so, it is because both feet, or limbs, 

 are alike stiff and sore. As we pass along the side walk, 

 it is seldom we see a horse stand with his limbs and feet in 

 a natural position, but generally find some with one fore- 

 foot set out as far as it can be reached, others with both 

 feet thrown forward ; some with contracted hoofs, others 

 with evident fever feet ; some standing tiptoe with their 

 knees bent forward, others sprawling, like a hear, on their 

 pasterns ; some with contracted or sunken breast, 

 others with sunken shoulders, and many with cracked 

 hoofs, ridged surfaces, and contracted heels. And 

 indeed it is rare to see a perfect foot on a horse (in 

 Northern Ohio) after he is four years old. The reason 

 given for this, I hope, will put some on their guard, and set 

 others thinking. In the first place the colt is taken in hand 

 to break. The owner, altliough not a judge of colts, thinks 

 he will make rather a fancy horse. He commences by taking 

 him to the smithy. He tells the blacksmith that be wants 

 the colt shod forward, and to do it in the most scientific 

 style, make his foot look fancy, cut the heel down so as to 

 have a wide-heeled shoe, cut away the frog, dress out the 

 bottom of the foot, and " do it up brown," as the colts 

 should be shod " scientifically" the first time; sock the 

 nails home, clinch fast, don't be afraid of your rasp. " Now 

 he looks as if he could travel, and if there is any trot in 

 him it must come out." 



Now, boys, we have done harvesting, and the colt is 

 shod, and we will have a week to visit and break colts in ; 

 we must not go far the first day ; five miles is far enough 

 when they're all in a sweat, with the new shoes on, feet 

 highly fevered, and painful. The colt must show out a 

 little, go to town and back, five miles more, then go home, 

 perhaps checked up all this time. Now where must all 

 this fever terminate? In the feet, most certainly, and 

 when turned out, the uncomfortable condition and pain in 

 the feet will cause him soon to lie down. On feeling tlie 

 feet, they will be found intenselj' hot, and the pastern 

 arteries beat with great violence. The feet, now confined 

 with an iron bar spiked on with eight strong nails, minus 

 the most of the frog and all the insensible sole, is not only 



confined, but deprived of its usual moisture. But it won't 

 do to let this colt remain idle too long ; he will forget what 

 he has learned. Use him often, but be careful of him. 

 When he trots, put him through, don't learnt him to 

 nudge along, but be careful. Let him know he can get up 

 his head and handle his feet; but be careful, colts are easily 

 hurt. But don't let every one drive past you ; let them 

 know we have as good a horse as theirs, but be careful. It 

 is a poor Morgan that can't go his twelve miles an hour on 

 a good dry, hard road, or planks; and one hour's drive can't 

 hurt a colt much, if he is well shod. How it looks to see 

 a fine carriage, plated harness and whip, moping along on a 

 good road in the hot sun and dust 1 Get right along as 

 though j'ou were men of business, and had some life and 

 energy about you ! But be careful of the colts. If they 

 should lose any shoes otf, give particular directions to the 

 smith to put them on very nice. 



Yes, this nice, stylish, scientific shoeing, which is 

 ordered by every one who has a horse, is doing more mis- 

 chief and harm to horses' feet than it could do to let them 

 run barefoot all their lives. It renders them less service- 

 able, cause? more pain, and leads to more giievous evils 

 than any other course. It is the cause of the greatest bar- 

 barities, by frequent change of masters. Who is afraid to 

 purchase a horse that has never been shod ? Soaie may 

 ask. Who ever saw an old horse, that never was shod ? 

 but I have seen horses over twenty years old, that never 

 had shoes on their feet, and yet were almost constantly in use. 

 In the early settlement of Western Pennsylvania, it was rare 

 to see a horse shod ; and it is only of late that shoeing the 

 hind feet has been practised. Although the country is 

 mountainous and stony, it is not imcommon to find horses, 

 four, five, or six j-ears old, that were never shod. Bad 

 feet, and lameness from shoeing, are seldom known. The 

 shoers there would be called bunglers. They seldom take 

 much pains, pare but little, bang on the shoe, and let it go. 

 If it stays on only one week, so much the better : it may 

 be two or three months before the horse will be needed 

 again. It is my practice to tell the sheer (if he asks any- 

 thing about how I will have it done) to do it in the most 

 bungling manner he knows how: I only forbid fancy shoe- 

 ing. I always dictato the shoeing of diseased feet while 

 treating them. A fevered foot is apt to remriin so as long 



